


Saving Grace

by Proclaim_Thy_Warrior_Soul



Category: Hawaii Five-0 (2010)
Genre: Action/Adventure, Additional Warnings Apply, Angst, BAMF!Steve, Drama, Gen, Grace wants her Danno, Hurt/Comfort, Kidnapping, Lots of Hurt, Steve has more blows to the head than is strictly safe, child endangerment, not so much comfort right now
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2012-12-17
Updated: 2017-05-10
Packaged: 2017-11-21 09:13:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 14
Words: 33,805
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/596013
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Proclaim_Thy_Warrior_Soul/pseuds/Proclaim_Thy_Warrior_Soul
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It should have been a simple task, taking Grace to the mall to choose Danno's birthday present, right? </p>
<p>Wrong. </p>
<p>Nothing is ever simple in the life of Steve McGarrett. He just hopes Danny can one day forgive him for this one…because he's not sure he can ever forgive himself.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter One

**Author's Note:**

> Work in progress.
> 
> Possible spoilers for the whole of season 1 and season 2 ;) Also, I'm British and I have no beta. All mistakes are mine. (Feel free to point out any glaring errors!)
> 
> Previously posted on FF.net. I'll be adding chapters as I go.

 

The Navy SEAL reacted on instinct as the lithe figure came at him without warning. He crouched low and countered, grabbing the charging ball of wild energy as she launched herself at his unprotected midsection, effortlessly throwing her over one shoulder. Steve McGarrett couldn't help but chuckle as he honed in on his attacker's weak spot - the back of her knees - ignoring the squeals of protest and feigned outrage as deft fingers tickled his foe without mercy; his attempt to wring out as much noise from his pint-sized captive as possible.

"Uncle Steve, put...put me down!" eight-year-old Grace Williams eventually managed to gasp out through fits of unabashed laughter, wriggling and squirming like a fish out of water as she fought to extricate herself from his grasp. Steve was having none of it.

"Nuh-uh, not until you give in, Gracie," the head of Five-O teased with a wicked grin in Danny's direction, his partner appearing a few minutes behind his overly-excitable daughter, the blond man's limp noticeably more pronounced today. "Do I win?"

"Never! My Danno will save me," came the confident reply as Grace paused in her wriggling, waving comically at her father from her inverted position as he arrived by her side.

Danny ignored the SEAL's questioning eyebrow over his uncomfortable gait and instead frowned at his daughter's red face as she hung upside down over the taller man's shoulder. "For the love of all that is holy, Steven, put my monkey down before she covers you in partially digested pizza and ice-cream. It was painful enough forking over twenty bucks for it in the first place," the Jersey native complained, hands stressing his obvious distaste. "So I don't particularly want, nor do I, in fact,  _need_ , to deal with seeing that incredibly expensive dinner painted all over Gracie's favourite six-foot Super-SEAL, okay? Because that would be both a waste of time and money...and, quite frankly, disgusting. Although, now I come to think of it, it'd make a great picture..."

Steve rolled his eyes good-naturedly as he set Grace gently on the ground, patting her playfully on the head as she smoothed out her bangs and glanced longingly at the mall to their six. The SEAL debated on whether interrupting his partner's rant would be a waste of  _his_  time, quite quickly deciding that, yeah, actually, it would be. It would only set the detective off on an even longer tangent and he honestly didn't think he could stomach it right then, the afternoon sunshine already causing his head to pound.

"Hey, Gracie," he whispered suddenly, crouching down so he was eye-level with the eight-year-old as she turned to face him with a curious smile. "I'll distract Danno and you run for the entrance, okay? If we have to wait for him to finish his complaining we'll be here all day and then I'll be forced to shoot him." Grace giggled as her uncle Steve pulled a dramatic face, glancing at her Danno from the corner of his eye. "When I give you the signal, you run, alright? I'll be right behind you."

Steve watched as Grace assessed the distance to the mall entrance, glancing at Danny as if weighing up her options. She was more like her father than people gave her credit for, the SEAL thought with a proud smile. He got quickly to his feet and nodded with a sly wink, signalling for her to go ahead. Grace bobbed her head in acknowledgement and darted off with a happy laugh, skipping and singing as she headed towards the large brick building, already planning her shopping expedition with her favourite uncle.

Danny trailed off mid-rant, hands frozen in mid-sweep as he watched his little girl leave the safety of his side. "Whoa, Grace… Steve, where's she going?"

"I'm six-one, Danny," McGarrett helpfully informed his distracted partner, pointedly ignoring the man's question as he also turned to walk away, pausing to check the back pocket of his dark cargo pants for his wallet and cell phone. "Now, Gracie and I have some top secret business to attend to and you're in the way, so if you don't mind..."

Without waiting for a response Steve slapped his partner on the back and headed for the mall entrance at a slow jog, reaching Grace's side in a matter of seconds. They both waved cheerfully before disappearing from sight, the small girl's call of "I love you, Danno," reaching her father's ears a few seconds later.

Detective Danny Williams stood open-mouthed, eyeing the once-occupied spot for a moment longer than was strictly necessary, shaking his head in disbelief as he ran a hand through his windswept hair. "Well, 'aloha, Danny,' would have been nice," he grumbled half-heartedly before turning and heading back in the direction he'd originally came with a sigh.

As the limping man dodged the crowds of shoppers en route to his car he pulled his vibrating cell phone from his pocket, opening a text message from his crazy partner.

_***I'll bring her back in a few hours, brah. Now, go home and relax - that's an order!*** _

As Danny was typing back his usual sarcastic response, muttering under his breath about bossy, know-it-all SEALs, the phone vibrated once more, McGarrett beating him to his next train of thought.

_***Don't even ask, Danno. It's classified ;)*** _

The realisation that Steven J. McGarrett, badass Navy Super-SEAL, knew how to create cute little winking faces on his cell phone was enough to make Danny erase the message he'd been about to compose, deciding he'd dealt with enough stress for one morning. Gracie was obviously a terrible influence on his partner he thought with a fond smile as he climbed into his car and headed for home.

*H50*H50*H50*H50*H50*H50*H50*H50*

Grace skipped happily at Steve's side with a permanent grin on her angelic face, pigtails bouncing with her every step. One hand was firmly enclosed in his, the other holding onto the strap of her bag as she peered in the store windows and hummed noisily to herself.

"What are  _you_  so cheerful about, huh?" the SEAL questioned as they paused outside Radio Shack, attempting to gain their bearings amidst the busy crowds of shoppers.

Grace took her time before answering, chewing her lip as she gave the question some serious thought. "It's nearly Danno's birthday," she decided, pulling on one pigtail as she smiled up at him. "And we're going to surprise him, aren't we, Uncle Steve?"

Steve nodded, readjusting his grip on her small hand. "We certainly are. Now, lead the way, Gracie. Where should we start?"

*H50*H50*H50*H50*H50*H50*H50*H50*

Two hours later and they were none the closer to finding a gift for Danny. Not that Steve cared. He was enjoying the time with his partner's little girl; that and the total chaos and disorder of the mall. It helped him to think; to stay alert.

They'd visited each floor twice, ducked in and out of practically every store in the building and still the miniature Williams wasn't flagging. At this rate the SEAL thought he'd have to call time on their little escapade and admit defeat himself, but Danny would never let him live it down.

"Uncle Steve?"

Grace's timid voice startled the SEAL from his thoughts as he immediately went on high alert, hazel eyes roaming the nearby crowds to seek out whatever had caused the young girl to lose her cheerful demeanour. Sensing nothing untoward, he scanned the crowd for a second time before deciding he was either overreacting or losing his touch.

A gentle tug on his arm brought the SEAL's undivided attention to the eight-year-old at his side. "What is it, Gracie?"

He watched as she shifted from foot to foot, her small hands tugging at the hem of her purple shirt. "I need to tell you something," she announced quietly.

Steve sank to his knees and took both of her hands in his own. "You can tell me anything, Grace, honey. You know that, right?" The worry was gnawing at his insides. He was half tempted to dial Danny's cell but he forced himself to wait. Grace gave a shy smile before leaning in and whispering in his ear.

Steve could have kicked himself, his face turning a brilliant shade of red as he ran a hand through his hair, rising quickly to his feet to hide his embarrassment; Danny's prior warnings of pizza and ice cream – and obviously a lot of soda - coming back to haunt him. Clearing his throat, the SEAL gave a small chuckle as he patted the small girl on the head, steering her in the direction of the nearby public restrooms, changing his mind at the last minute when he decided he couldn't establish her safety when he couldn't secure the room beforehand. Old habits die hard; wasn't that the saying?

Running through viable options, ignoring the small internal voice that was laughing at his paranoia, McGarrett decided on the McDonald's takeaway restaurant down on the floor below. From what he remembered, there was a single unisex restroom near the registers so he could take a few seconds to clear it and then grab a drink for Grace without too much hassle.

It only took a few extra minutes to reach the food store. After a quick sweep of the stall, which was thankfully clear, Steve headed for the counter and ordered a small soda for Grace and a bottle of water for himself, all the while keeping his attention on the restroom door. Grace appeared as he finished paying, gratefully accepting the drink and declining the offer of something to eat.

The pair wandered out of the restaurant and over to a small seating area where a few other weary shoppers were taking a well-deserved break. Steve pulled out a chair for Gracie and settled her in before taking the adjacent seat, checking the time on his watch as he opened his bottle of water and took a small sip. "How are you holding up? You ready to head home yet, or are we ready for more shopping?"

Grace took a matching sip of her drink before answering. "Can we have a look in the book store before we leave, Uncle Steve? I think I know what I-"

The end of her sentence was cut off as a well-dressed, middle-aged man stumbled into their table, his briefcase knocking Grace's drink onto the floor with a wet splat, Steve's bottle of water giving an ominous wobble before managing to remain stubbornly in place. McGarrett was on his feet in an instant, moving around the table and inserting himself like a shield between the young girl and the overly apologetic man, forcing him to take a step away.

"Gracie, are you okay?" the head of Five-O called over his shoulder, ignoring the pathetic attempts at an apology from the rude businessman, concern colouring his voice as he put on his best ' _don't-mess-with-me-or-I'll-knock-you-on-your-ass-before-you-can-even-blink_ ' look; the one Danny had affectionately named his aneurism face, glaring unflinchingly at the stranger before him. Grace's quiet affirmation that she was fine did little to ease the tension that curled through his body, his protective streak taking over.

The suited man offered a weak smile as he took a further step back, hands raised in a gesture of surrender as he half-heartedly offered to replace the spilled drink, a proposition to which the SEAL shook his head in the negative. He didn't trust himself to speak to the clumsy fool quite yet as he was liable to say something he'd regret.  _Maybe you've spent a little too much time with your irritable partner_ , his inside voice pointed out with a wry chuckle.

Without another word the man turned and walked away, muttering under his breath as he headed in the opposite direction to where he'd originally intended. Steve watched him go, forcing himself to take a few deep breaths to ease the adrenaline rush that had his pulse spiking, the headache from earlier returning full force. He grabbed a handful of paper napkins from another table and mopped up as much of the spilled drink as he could before turning back to a quiet Grace.

"Are you okay, Gracie?" Steve voiced his concerns with a frown, worried for a moment that he'd scared the little girl, her brown eyes wide and unblinking as they met his. She nodded slowly, her gaze falling to the mess on the floor. "I can get you another drink," he offered, the words sounding lame even to himself as he shifted uncomfortably from foot to foot. Grace shook her head and jumped to her feet, reaching out to take Steve's hand in her own.

"Let's go, Uncle Steve. We need to look in the book store, remember?"

The SEAL released the breath he hadn't realised he'd been holding, accepting the small girl's hand in his own with a relieved smile. "Don't forget your drink, silly," she chastised as he grabbed his bottle of water with a smirk, downing most of it before throwing the rest in the trash as they walked away.

*H50*H50*H50*H50*H50*H50*H50*H50*

As Grace browsed the assortment of books on display in the glass-fronted store, Steve was fighting back a wave of dizziness. The vertigo had struck hard and fast a few minutes back but he'd put it down to the beginnings of a migraine. Now he wasn't so sure.

He swallowed thickly as he watched Grace thumbing through a selection of books she'd pulled from the shelf, glad she was too distracted to notice his discomfort. As he ran a hand through his sweat-drenched hair, the head of Five-O prayed he wasn't about to pass out in the middle of the busy mall. He'd scared Grace enough for one day already; he didn't plan on doing it again.

Steve lingered in the shop doorway, hoping the hint of a breeze he could feel from the mall exit nearby would be enough to clear his head. His skull felt like it was stuffed with cotton candy, his vision blurring around the edges. Whatever was wrong with him, he decided, it wasn't natural.

His thoughts floated back to the suited man and his accidental stumble into their table. Was it accidental, or was it some elaborate scheme to...  _To what?_  Steve shook his head, forcing his paranoia to the back burner, crossing his trembling arms and allowing his weary body to slump heavily against the wall. He was blocking the only entrance into the store, but he couldn't bring himself to care at that moment as his eyes slipped shut of their own accord.

A familiar tug on his arm startled the SEAL enough to jerk him back to awareness, the force of his heart pounding in his chest eliciting a weak groan against his will. He had to blink a few times to clear his vision and this time he couldn't fail to spot the concern painted on Grace's pretty face.

"We need to leave," he ordered suddenly, his voice hoarse as he groped blindly for the child's hand. Grace nodded solemnly and matched his unsteady pace as she stumbled from the store alongside him, struggling to keep up with his hurried strides as they exited the mall.

The moment they hit fresh air, Steve slowed. One, two, three deep breaths and he felt a little clarity returning, but with his improved state of mind came the realisation that they were being followed. Three men, if he was seeing things clearly, which ironically enough he wasn't. They were keeping their distance for the time being but were most likely armed; certainly dangerous. Who had he pissed off this time? In reality, the list could be endless...

The SEAL had to fight furiously against the unnatural wave of panic that assaulted him at the thought that even after all of his precautions he'd still managed to put Grace in harm's way. It was becoming a habit lately; no one stayed safe for long when he got too close to them.

_Concentrate, McGarrett_ , his internal voice commanded. It was right; he could beat himself up over this later. First he had to get little Gracie to safety.

Eyes darting erratically, struggling to focus his thoughts, the head of Five-O tightened his grip on Grace's hand as he tried to remember where he was going. He'd been drugged, that much was obvious. But with what and how long the effects would last, he had no idea. He prayed it would pass through his system quickly.

"The car,  _the car_..." Steve hadn't realised he was muttering out loud until Grace helpfully pointed them in the right direction. Picking up speed, his destination finally in sight, McGarrett all but fell into the side of his Chevy Silverado, panting as if he'd just finished a marathon. It took several painfully long seconds to find the key in his back pocket but eventually he had the car unlocked and the passenger door open. Spinning clumsily to the terrified eight-year-old at his side, Steve grit his teeth against the urge to throw up and dropped to his knees, taking Grace's small hands into his own.

"Gracie, I need you to listen. I'm going to ask you to do something important for me, okay?" The little girl nodded, tears welling in her eyes as she took in her uncle's disheveled state. She wasn't stupid; she knew something was seriously wrong. "I need you to get in the car and lock the doors. Whatever happens, you can't come out. Do you understand me? You  _ **can't**_  come out." At her hurried nod she was all but pushed through the door, falling unceremoniously onto the passenger seat as Steve threw the keys and wallet in alongside her, the door slamming with a loud bang.

"Lock it, Gracie.  **Now**!" he shouted through the window. "Don't open the door until I tell you it's safe to come out." Steve hated that he had to raise his voice but he was quickly running out of time and he needed her to act fast; the comforting sound of the Chevy's locks hitting home suddenly meaning one less obstacle to worry over.

Stumbling away from the car in relief the head of Five-O scrubbed a hand over his sweaty face, blinking harshly against the blinding glare of the sunlight as he chose a direction at random and started walking, hoping his three pursuers would oblige in following him. The SEAL's immediate plan of action had already flown out of the window with his growing nausea and dizziness; not to mention the fact that he was beginning to struggle to keep any semblance of order to his thoughts. He couldn't have driven Gracie to safety right now had her life depended upon it, even with his extensive training in combat and defensive driving. He was liable to crash and kill them both, the dark spots clouding his vision growing larger and more ominous with each passing heartbeat.

His predicament and state of being left him with a limited number of feasible options, but for now McGarrett's only plan of action was to draw the men as far away from Grace as possible. The further she was from harm, the easier he could concentrate. The more he could concentrate, the higher his chances were of eliminating the three SOB's on his tail. It was times like these that Steve was glad he'd sent Mary away; that he didn't have his own wife and kids to worry about. Pulling the iPhone from his pocket he spared a lingering thought for his clueless partner, knowing Danny was going to be pissed as hell when he discovered that his little Gracie had been put in harm's way. He honestly didn't know how the Jersey Detective continued to show up for work each day knowing that one unexpected run-in with some piece of scum with a gun or a knife could mean he'd never see his little girl again. Squinting at the small screen in front of him, the SEAL tried to scroll down to his partner's phone number through his increasingly blurred vision.

Steve lost his footing as his concentration scattered, catching himself against the hood of a beat up old truck with a solid thud and barely managing to keep his grip on the small device in his shaking hand. Taking a deep breath, belligerently ignoring the latest wave of dizziness that threatened to send him spiralling into unconsciousness, he used the moment's respite to scope out his surroundings, clenching his fists against the harsh trembling that overtook his body as his adrenaline started to crash. With a distraught groan the Navy SEAL cursed his own stupidity, punching one fist into the truck as he caught sight of his own Chevy barely twenty feet away; his dazed and aimless stumbling having caused him to walk in a complete circle. He didn't have time to be angry with himself, a sudden attack of nausea bending him double as he violently threw up what little food he'd eaten for breakfast that morning alongside his earlier bottle of water.

The sound of approaching footsteps had McGarrett relying on senses other than sight as he fought to remain upright. Part of him hoped it was a kindly passer-by checking to see whether he was okay, or at worst the owner of the truck coming to tear his head off over the mess he'd made. Luck, however, wasn't on his side. He could hear three distinct sets of footsteps as he wiped his mouth on the short sleeve of his shirt, ascertaining quickly that it was highly unlikely to be anyone other than the men that had been following him since he'd left the mall. Glancing once more at his parked Chevy, vaguely relieved that he couldn't see Grace and praying to every god known to man, woman and animal that it was because she'd done as she was told and was hiding in the relative safety of the locked car, Steve braced himself both physically and mentally before turning in the direction of the footsteps and launching himself blindly at them.

The head of Five-O collided hard with two of his three shadows, using his substantial bodyweight to take them to the floor in an uncoordinated tangle of arms and legs. Their muffled curses were music to his ears, shaking loose some of the cobwebs that had taken hold of his brain and Steve felt his second wind of energy take hold, the adrenaline once again coursing through his veins at the anticipation of the fight.

Ignoring the throb of pain in his right wrist the SEAL struck out with the closed fist that still clutched his iPhone, landing a solid blow to the first man's temple who was struggling to regain his ability to fight back. Steve gave a satisfied grunt as he watched the man's head ricochet off the solid ground, the stranger swiftly losing his battle with consciousness. Turning his attention to the next man, relieved the odds were unexpectedly leaning in his favour, McGarrett blocked a sloppy punch but was hit from behind as the third man quickly made his entrance into the fray.

Falling heavily on the ground beside the unconscious man, wincing at the bite of gravel to his forearms as his cell went skittering across the floor, Steve rolled onto his back and kicked out at a further attack from his new assailant but his move was weak, off-target and easily blocked. The swift kick that followed to his ribs had the SEAL groaning in pain; another catching him in the stomach; one to the side of his jaw; a fourth in the lower part of his back as he curled in on himself to protect his weakening body. They were fighting dirty, the ruthless blows from the two men suddenly raining down on him in a manic frenzy, and they were winning. He couldn't defend himself.

Blood ran freely, the beating ending as suddenly as it had started. McGarrett gave a strangled cough to clear his airway, jarring his protesting ribs in the process as he rolled onto his front, spitting out a mouthful of blood, his breath leaving him in harsh, broken gasps. He lost a few seconds, the pain as he was yanked brusquely to his feet causing him to momentarily black out, but the sound of smashing glass accompanied by the haunting sound of a terrified scream had him clawing his way back to awareness with a cry of his own.

"No… _nonono_ … _Gracie!_ " Steve couldn't force enough air into his lungs, fear for the young girl's safety tightening his chest to the point of hyperventilation. He fought with everything he had, the overriding, burning need to protect his partner's little girl eating at him like a cancer. Through his blurred vision he could just about make out the sight of a man at the door to his car, the window to the passenger's side shattered.  _Four men. There were four of them…_

The sun reflected off of the glass staining the floor, blinding in its brightness. Grace was pulled screaming from the car as the SEAL made his bid for freedom, a small voice at the back of his head wondering where the crowds of weekend shoppers were now that he needed them. Not to help, but to bear witness to the crime that was being committed. With the drugs scrambling his brain Steve was as reliable a witness as a blind man. If they got away with Grace as their –  _ **their what?**_   _Their hostage? Their bargaining chip?_  He didn't know; couldn't quite piece the puzzle together in any semblance of order right then. He just knew that he couldn't let her be taken.

Steve didn't know how he managed it, but suddenly he was free.

Tripping over his own unresponsive feet, hitting the floor with an unhealthy crunch, he scrambled towards his Chevy; towards a now mute Grace as her attacker held a silencing hand over her mouth; fingers clawing at the ground as he inched himself closer. He didn't get far, something cold -  _ **harsh**_  - wrapping itself around his throat, cutting off air that he was struggling to draw into his screaming body in the first place. And then he was choking, fingers scrabbling uselessly at the ligature around his neck, his already impaired vision shrinking to mere pinpricks.

" _Grace_ …" It was the last thought that he managed before he stopped moving completely.

*H50*H50*H50*H50*H50*H50*H50*H50*


	2. Chapter Two

Danny Williams couldn't breathe.

The blond man's chest tightened to the point of pain, a blend of anger and disbelief simmering just below the surface as the realisation began to sink in. Not quite able to accept what he'd just heard, his stubbled face screwed up into a frown as he ran a hand through his messy hair.

"Damn it. Damn you and your complete and utter stupidity! What were you thinking, huh?" Grabbing the closest thing to him, which just so happened to be the remote to the TV, the Detective slammed it into the couch several times over, each slam punctuated by an accompanying grunt, before slumping further down into his seat.

He sat that way for a few moments, fingers idly drumming against the arm of the chair as he attempted to calm himself down, but it was no use. Jumping to his bare feet, gesticulating wildly at the TV screen that sat a few feet away with both of his hands, Danny vented his frustrations the best way he knew how. "Why did you have to do this to me now, huh? Three more minutes, that's all I needed. We were winning! Why couldn't you do this one simple thing?"

Receiving no response he turned on his heel and stomped past the couch, grabbing his empty beer bottles as he headed for the kitchen, all the while muttering under his breath. "Fifty bucks down the drain… Guaranteed win, my haole butt. This is the last time I take advice from Max… Max! What was I even thinking?" Sure, Danny knew he was overreacting. It was only a football game after all, but he'd put a lot of money on the Warriors to win and now he was out of pocket. "Stupid, stupid, stupid… You're an idiot, Williams. What are you? An idiot!"

Tugging on the refrigerator door, Danny wasn't prepared for the cascade of beer bottles that came at him with no warning. He'd haphazardly thrown them in there after dropping Grace off at the mall, his hurry to catch the beginning of the game taking precedence over common sense, it seemed. Well he was paying for it now, wasn't he? Half-heartedly attempting to catch the bottles, cursing his miserable luck, he gave up as one by one they hit the floor with a resounding smash, the smell of wasted beer taunting him as it hit his nose.

"No, no, no, no, no!" Scrubbing a hand through his unruly hair the Jersey native slammed the fridge door shut and eyed the mess with a look of pure disdain; glass and the sweet-smelling alcohol covering his once clean floor. "Does anything else want to go wrong today?" he growled, eyes raised to the ceiling. It was a rhetorical question but with the glare he was giving the fridge it was as if he was expecting a response.

Danny's sombre thoughts were interrupted by the sound of his cell phone ringing from within the other room, the discovery doing little to improve his quickly souring mood. Ignoring it for the time being, the shards of broken bottle threatening to impale his naked feet a much higher priority right at that very moment, he grabbed the nearby dustpan and brush hanging above the counter and started to clear up his mess, muttering about his aching knees and being "too old for all of this…"

Not long after, picking a stray shard of glass out of his little finger and mildly cursing his bad luck, the blond wandered aimlessly back towards the TV, his sole surviving beer tucked firmly under one arm. This one was not going to waste; not if he could help it.

The detective dropped heavily onto the couch with a sigh, opening his beer and propping his feet up against the armrest, blindly groping for his phone that lay buried somewhere beneath his lean frame as it once more began to ring. Glancing at the display, he couldn't fight the smile that erupted without warning, all trace of his earlier frustrations evaporating with ease..

Danny held the phone to his ear, taking a quick swig of his beer as he settled himself more comfortably. "Hey, Monkey - have you managed to wear out the Super SEAL yet?"

Grace delayed in answering and Danny had to check their line was still connected. "Gracie, are you there?"

Her quiet voice eventually came across the connection but his daughter's words were enough to send his heart hammering into his rib cage. "Danno? I'm scared."

Danny sat up straighter in his seat, his paternal instincts warring with those of being a cop as the need to rush to his daughter's side clashed with his need to get as much information on the situation as possible. "Grace, babe, tell Danno what's wrong. Where's Steve?"

"Uncle Steve got sick, daddy. I'm in the car, but I'm scared." He could hear her terrified breathing in his ear, the sound breaking his heart.

"It's okay, Grace, I'm here. You don't have to be scared, okay?" If only those few words were enough to calm his own racing heart. "Can you tell me where Uncle Steve is now? Is he in the car with you, Monkey? Let me talk to him." There was the sound of rustling as he pictured his little girl moving around in the back of Steve's Silverado.

"He's gone, daddy. He left me and I want to go home... Can you take me home?" Danny almost dropped his phone at that, silently cursing his idiotic partner as his anger grew alongside the overwhelming fear. You didn't leave a dog in the car, let alone a terrified eight-year-old girl. He was going to kill him!

"Okay, babe, are you still in the car park at the mall? I'm on my way to you now. I'll be there soon, okay? I promise." Danny jumped to his feet, unwittingly knocking his beer onto the carpeted floor but he paid it no attention as he rushed towards the door, grabbing his car keys off the hook and stumbling through the exit, belatedly remembering his feet were bare.

Damn it!

Grace didn't have the chance to respond to his question as the sound of someone tapping on the car window carried over the phone. Danny listened intently. "Is that Steve now? Can you put him on the phone, Gracie? Daddy needs to have a word with his idiotic partner-"

The start of his mini-rant was cut off at the next few whispered words of his little girl. "Danno, there's a man at the car. He wants me to open the door."

Danny froze in his scramble for his shoes, balancing precariously on one foot with the phone tucked between one ear and his shoulder. "What? Is it Steve, Gracie?" Please tell me it's Steve...

"No, I don't know who he is but he looks mean. Daddy, please... Will you come and get me?"

Forcing both feet into his shoes the detective raced for his car, not even bothering to ensure the house was locked behind him. "I'm on my way now, babe, I swear. Just stay on the line, okay? Don't hang up. I need you to keep talking to me so I know where to find you, can you do that?" There was no answer so Danny kept talking, the phone resting on his shoulder as he threw the Camaro into gear and headed towards the mall, his need to reassure both himself and his daughter an almost powerful urge. "I'm coming for you, Gracie, I swear. I won't let anything happen to you..."

The sound of breaking glass distracted him from his rambling. He almost dropped the phone, the car swerving dangerously into the wrong lane as he tried to remember how to breathe. "Gracie..."

"DADDY, HELP ME!" The terrified scream was accompanied by the sound of Grace dropping her cell phone as she struggled with the man trying to pull her from the car.

"Grace! Oh, God... GRACIE!" Making the right call Danny pulled his car over at the side of the road, knowing he was likely to kill himself or some other unlucky Hawaiian with his erratic driving and his lack of concentration as he tried to reach his daughter. His hands were shaking so bad he thought he was going to pass out. Or be sick; he couldn't quite decide. "Gracie, talk to me! Please, please, Gracie..."

It was no use. He could hear the distinct screams of his daughter growing quieter and quieter as he imagined she was pulled away from the car. When they cut off completely, Danny had to force open the Camaro door as he threw up everything in his stomach, the intense reaction making him groan in pain.

He stayed that way for a few minutes, bent double; half hanging out the car door, but continuing to listen in on his cell. He was unable to make out anything else, no quiet whimper; nothing to let him know his baby girl was okay, but he fought every instinct he had to hang up, desperately needing to hang on to the sole connection he had with his Gracie.

After another few long minutes of silence, Danny gave in to the inevitable tears as they fell, reluctantly hanging up as he fought to compose himself. He had a job to do; Grace needed him. His little girl was missing...

Danny's ears were ringing, his chest tight as he struggled to draw in enough air to breathe. His beautiful little Gracie, his entire life, was in danger... Someone had her! He needed to get to her; now. Knowing this, but also knowing he was in no fit state to drive, Danny dialled one of the two people he knew he could truly count on right at that very moment.

The phone was answered after the first ring. "Hey, brah. What's up?"

Danny's voice cracked as his tears continued to fall. "Chin, please, I need your help."


	3. Chapter Three

Chin Ho Kelly kept a strong grip on the steering wheel as he manoeuvred Danny's Camaro through the heavy afternoon traffic, dark eyes shifting from the busy road to the anxious detective at his side and back again.

The phone call from the blond had come as somewhat of a surprise. Kelly hadn't expected to hear from the rest of the team until they were due to clock in with the Governor the next morning. Even Kono had prior commitments, so for all intents and purposes Chin had been looking forward to an easy day spent quite simply with his own company. Running a few errands, servicing his bike, maybe squeezing in time for a little fishing or a swim - they were meant to be the highlights of this rare afternoon off. Not a frantic phone call from the man currently sitting in the passenger seat of his own vehicle, fretting because something terrible had happened to his child.

The Hawaiian felt his heart clench at the thought that something,  _anything_ , had happened to little Grace Williams. The few times that Danny had allowed his daughter to hang out with the task force had already endeared her to each and every one of them. She was full of laughter and smiles – and had the uncanny ability to bring them out in her father and those around her. To think she was on the Island somewhere, in the hands of…who really knew? It was enough to shatter his usually unshakeable sense of inner calm.

To make matters worse, McGarrett was also missing in action. From Danny's frantic phone call Chin had ascertained that Steve and Grace had been at the mall - together, as far as everyone was concerned. At least up until Grace's terrified phone call to her father in which she stated that Steve had left her.

By herself.

Now, Kelly had known Lieutenant Commander McGarrett for a long time. If there was one thing he could be certain of it was that Steve would never abandon anyone under his care. Not unless it was for their protection and he could somehow guarantee their absolute safety, or he had no other legitimate choice. For the Navy SEAL to have abandoned Grace, only to have disappeared himself, something terrible had to have gone down.

This entire situation had disaster written all over it.

Chin let his eyes travel once more to the uncharacteristically silent man at his side, his frown growing deeper as he took in the sight of the Jersey native slumped wearily against the door, eyes downcast and his whole posture screaming defeat. In the short time he'd known Danny Williams he wasn't sure he'd ever seen him quite so... _lifeless_. It wasn't a good look for him; not a good look at all. Not that anyone could blame him for it. His daughter was missing and his partner wasn't answering his phone or anywhere to be found.

Whatever had gone down at the mall Chin sincerely hoped it was all some elaborate misunderstanding. Five-O were likely at the top of many a hit list these days, what with the swiftly growing number of successful busts under their collective belts. This was without taking into consideration the fact that Steve McGarrett had a knack for pissing off some very dangerous people.  _Hell_ , they all did. In reality, the beautiful little girl could be used as the weak link to any one of them. They'd all happily sacrifice themselves to keep her safe. He just really hoped it wasn't going to come down to that today. He wasn't sure Danny would survive losing Grace; wasn't even sure the team could survive the fallout of such a devastating event…

The sound of his cell phone ringing pulled Chin from his morose thoughts, his cousin's name glowing across the screen of the small device that sat on the dashboard of the car. Putting Kono on loudspeaker he settled both hands back on the wheel and returned his focus to the road.

"Hey, 'Cuz," came the familiar sound of her voice over the speaker. "I haven't been able to locate Steve using the GPS on his cell, which could mean he's got no service or his phone's been damaged, so I'm backtracking through data using local radio towers to see where his signal's been recorded within the last few hours." Kono Kalakaua got straight to the point, knowing they were short on time. "It won't give us an exact location but I can triangulate enough for it to narrow down the field of search. If Steve still has his cell on him, we should know where he is in the next few minutes."

"Thanks, 'Cuz." Chin was grateful his cousin had been local enough to drop what she was doing without much prompting. Determined to help in every way possible the rookie Officer had headed straight to HQ where she could make better use of the resources available to them. She'd already traced the signal from Grace's own cell phone, confirming that it was sitting idle in the Ala Moana Center's car park. If they could now locate Steve they'd at least be one step further in hopefully revealing the mystery behind Grace's kidnapping.

"Whoa, brah. An alert just came through from HPD. They received a 911 call a few minutes ago concerning an injured and possibly unconscious man in the car park. EMS are already on their way." Kono failed to hide the concern in her voice as she tapped away at a few keys on her laptop while Danny seemed to come back to life at the possible news on his partner, the blond man sitting up straight and running both hands through his hair. "I've triangulated Steve's cell phone signal to the same area. Guys, it has to be him."

Chin forced the Camaro to take the next turning a little faster than was strictly necessary, having to work to keep the sports car under control as it continued to race towards their destination. "We'll be there in a few minutes, 'Cuz," he promised. "We'll keep you in the loop, okay?" Kono thanked him quietly before hanging up.

The ensuing silence was deafening. Chin took a couple of deep breaths in order to regain his sense of composure as he ran through the new information and tried to configure how exactly it affected the afternoon's events. If Steve was the injured man then it would explain why he hadn't been able to stop Grace from being kidnapped, but this left Five-O with a new, more worrying problem. Whoever had taken Grace had to be either very well connected or very highly trained, especially if they'd succeeded in taking out an extremely dangerous Navy SEAL.

Chin forced himself to slow the Camaro down to a more manageable speed. It would do neither of them an ounce of good to crash, Chin knew that, but he also understood that Danny was one step away from exploding if he didn't receive some news on Grace soon. The worried father was a ticking time bomb with an extremely short fuse at the best of times. Right now it was simply a waiting game until he blew.

"Steve would never intentionally let anything happen to Grace. You know that, brah." Chin couldn't stand the younger man's silence a moment longer.

"I don't want to talk about this right now, Chin, okay? I just need to find my daughter. Can we do that, huh? Please?" It was the most Danny had spoken since Chin had found him in a crumpled heap on the ground outside the Camaro. A snappy Danny was better than an unresponsive one, any day.

Chin nodded his consent and once more returned his concentration to the road ahead, the Ala Moana Center finally appearing in his field of vision.

*H50*H50*H50*H50*H50*H50*

_Hell Week._

The familiar name floated somewhere just outside the reach of McGarrett's consciousness as he stirred, memories flooding his mind unbidden.

_Five-point-five days of non-stop endurance, never-ending alertness and constant, persistent, unceasing motion… One-hundred-and-thirty-two hours of hard, physical labour; blood, sweat and tears; exhaustion, numbness and pain… Seven-thousand, nine-hundred-and-twenty minutes of relentless agony; sleep-deprivation, hunger, stiff muscles and raw skin…_

_Hell Week._

_Huh._

It had nothing on how Steve McGarrett was feeling right now.

Face-down on the warm concrete floor, the sun beating down relentlessly upon his back, the SEAL sucked in a sharp breath as he temporarily broke through the cloud of drugs that fogged his mind, the agony of his battered body making itself known with every thud of his stuttering heartbeat.

Steve's initial attempt at movement, an almost frantic need to 'get up _ **,**_ _move_ _ **, now!**_ _'_ had him choking on a fresh bout of nausea, his stomach and head protesting equally at his idiotic idea of refusing to stay still. Spitting out the vile taste in his mouth, both eyes clenched shut against the glare of the sun and the sharp, insistent pounding in his skull, the head of Five-O sucked in a further laboured breath as he fought to clear his head, the urge to close his eyes and return to the land of obliviousness an overpowering need.

_Where was…? How…? What was he…? Shit._  Biting back a growl of frustration at his inability to remember anything useful Steve forced his eyes open as he clawed his way upright.

_Big mistake._

The world tilted without warning, each individual ache and pain making itself known tenfold as he found himself back exactly where he'd started – sprawled face down on the ground, gagging pitifully as his stomach tried and failed to turn itself inside out. He stayed that way for a few minutes, ignoring the pleas of his body to give in, breathing in small, shallow bursts with both eyes squeezed shut as his skull screamed loud enough to rival the police siren on his Chevy.

_The Chevy_ …

There was something he had to remember about the truck; something important, but it wouldn't surface, not quite yet. Swallowing thickly in an effort to control his nausea the SEAL once more attempted to move, eventually managing to roll over slowly onto his back, the jolt of pain from his wrist and the entire left side of his body forcing a groan past his bloodied lips.

Cracking open one eye, shielding his vision from the sun's spiteful rays with his good arm, Steve's brain short-circuited as he took in the sight of his Silverado and the shattered passenger window across the way, memories of the last half an hour slamming into him at full speed.

" _ **Grace!**_ " The name tore at his already injured throat as he bolted upright, the recollection of something around his neck cutting off his airway clashing with the memory of fists and feet, elbows and knees connecting with his defenceless, uncoordinated body.

_None of that mattered, none of it was important. He had to find Grace and he had to find her **now**. He was supposed to protect her, to keep her safe. He'd promised Danny he'd keep her safe... Danny! What was he going to tell Danny?_

Steve couldn't control the rush of thoughts that jammed themselves into his brain simultaneously, each one falling over the other as they fought for dominance in the SEAL's drug-scrambled mind. The scream of the sirens invading his head grew louder...closer...and were now accompanied by flashing lights...red and blue?  _Damn_. He must have taken more blows to the head than he realised.

Pushing the latest wave of dizziness aside the head of Five-O ignored the black spots clouding his vision as he scrambled to his feet, wobbling precariously as he tried not to faceplant back onto the asphalt. His balance was shot but it didn't hold him back as he half-stumbled, half-fell in the direction of his car, the place Grace was supposed to remain safe. He'd seriously screwed this mission up, hadn't he?

"Excuse me, sir? Wait, please, you need to remain still…"

The unfamiliar voice came from out of nowhere, a presence at his unguarded back that was completely unexpected and so automatically ranked high on his danger scale. The hands that tried to steady him as he swayed were the final straw, enough to tip him over the edge into  _ **incapacitate-now-ask-questions-later**_  mode.

The EMT was lucky. The drugs currently flowing through Steve McGarrett's system meant he was well below par for the average Navy SEAL. On a good day he would have wiped the floor with him; left him in a bloodied heap on the ground. Today he barely managed to throw the man over his shoulder before pinning him to the floor with his knee, exerting a crippling pressure on the man's wrist as he tried to clear the fog closing in once again over his vision.

Steve heard a ruckus from nearby, more unfamiliar voices assaulting his concussed brain as his heartbeat thundered against bruised ribs. A small voice whispered to him to run. The men that had attacked him - those that had taken Grace - were surely returning to finish the job they'd started.

_Grace_... Each time the SEAL thought of his partner's little girl he felt a sharp stab of pain in his chest, his aching shoulders slumping in defeat as breathing became  _that_  much harder. He needed to get her back...and he  _would_. No matter what, he'd ensure she was safe.

The head of Five-O felt his eyelids flutter as the drugs once more stabbed their vicious claws into him. The man pinned beneath his weight was talking but he couldn't make out the words as the sound of the blood rushing through his ears deafened him. Steve had to readjust the grip on his captive, blinking furiously as the scenery started to sway, cursing quietly under his breath at his weakness.

_Danny! Danny needed to know...he had to tell Danny that he'd lost...that Grace had been taken from him. Danny... Danny was going to kill him. Grace was his life, his everything and he'd lost her...gotten her kidnapped. She was gone._..

Steve realised that his thoughts were all over the place but couldn't remember why. He'd knocked his head, hadn't he?  _No_. Yes, but that was after...after, what? After...he didn't know. It was growing harder and harder to think. He just needed to close his eyes and rest a little. He'd be fine after that. Maybe... He could tell Danny about the table and Grace's drink...and the strange businessman later...

Steve felt his eyes closing against his will, his grip on the EMT beneath him slackening off enough for the man to reverse their positions. Steve didn't bother fighting. He let the paramedic manhandle him until he was back in his initial position – face down on the floor, except this time he had one arm twisted none-too-gently behind him. He was pretty sure this should bother him…he was a SEAL, wasn't he?  _Not a very good one_ , a nasty voice in his head snarled at him. But Steve wasn't listening…

*H50*H50*H50*H50*H50*H50*

Danny didn't bother waiting for the Camaro to roll to a complete stop before he threw the door open and stumbled out into the bright Hawaiian sunshine, easily ignoring Chin's shout to slow down. His heart was in his throat as he raced for the last place he'd seen Grace. If he got her back…no,  _when he got her back_  – there was no doubt in his mind about this fact - she was never,  _ever_ leaving his side again. Not until she was thirty, at least. He'd resort to handcuffing his little girl to him if it got the message across.

Tripping over his own feet the detective forced his way through the milling crowds of shoppers, not even bothering to apologise as he disturbed their afternoon stroll. He had to bite back a pang of jealousy as he ran around a family of three. Mom and dad were smiling down at their young son as the little redhead struggled to carry a large stuffed dinosaur under one arm. Danny would quite literally kill if it meant he could have his sweet, adorable little Grace here with him right now. He'd buy the entire mall for her; anything she wanted. He just needed her,  _now_. Safe in his arms. Was that really so much to ask?

The familiar red and blue flash of police sirens pulled him in the right direction. Danny came to an abrupt stop as he caught sight of his partner's Chevy a few feet away. It was almost like time itself slowed down as he zeroed in on the vehicle, his breath coming in short, sharp gasps as he replayed the sound of Grace's screams as she was dragged from the truck, his daughter's voice looping over and over in his head. It was torture, pure and simple. If he wasn't careful Danny knew he was going to break; shatter into a thousand tiny pieces that could never be put back together.

Coughing suddenly, swiping unconsciously at the tears that were threatening to fall, the Jersey native tugged his tie loose from around his neck and forced himself to take a deep breath as he moved in for closer look at the vehicle. There would be time for tears later. Right now he had a job to do.

Danny eyed the truck in front of him with more than a hint of disdain. It was a rare occasion that Steve used the damn thing lately. In fact it seemed to please the SEAL a whole lot more to commandeer the Camaro,  _his_  car, and drive it at a breakneck speed down the dusty roads of the pineapple-infested hellhole he'd slowly started to think of as home. It sat there taunting him, a shiny chunk of black metal and glass.

The passenger window was in pieces, shards of safety glass scattering the floor. The logical side of Danny's mind, the part that wasn't dumbstruck with fear over what could be happening to Grace right now, pointed out that there was a good chance they could find prints on the vehicle. This guy, whoever it was that had taken Gracie, would've had to have braced himself fully against the side of the truck in order to reach through the window to snatch her. The only downside could be if the kidnaper was smart enough to wear gloves. Lifting his eyes to the vivid blue skies above, the distraught father prayed for this one simple thing.  _Please let him be stupid enough to have left prints... Please._

Danny had spent the journey here trying to compose himself. The last thing he needed was to fall apart in front of Chin, after all. He'd also attempted to put himself in Super SEAL's leather boots to discover why, when trained to kill in 132 different ways, he'd thought leaving a small child unprotected in his truck was a good idea. No matter which way the detective looked at it the option never,  _ever_  seemed like a good one. Was it because Steve wasn't a father? Maybe parents had a different thought process to Navy SEALs, different priorities. Had Steve put the mission before Grace? He knew the man loved to catch the bad guys but this was beyond a joke... The more Danny let his thoughts linger on the facts, the angrier he became.

Sounds from across the car park finally caught the blond's attention. Turning his back on the Chevy Danny headed for the crowd of familiar-looking HPD officers, the surrounding area bathed in the glow of the EMT's flashing lights. He forced his way through the crowd, past Sergeant Lukela who was barking orders into his radio, and walked calmly towards where he could now see his partner being treated for an assortment of injuries whilst seated haphazardly on the ground.

Steve didn't sense his approach, of which Danny was glad. He took a moment to study his partner, forced himself to really look at him. Behind the blood and bruises the man was a Navy SEAL; he was also the Head of Five-O. Danny had once thought of the guy as his best friend, but right now? Right now Danny couldn't decide if he wanted to hug him or kill him.

At the moment murder was looking the most appealing...

*H50*H50*H50*H50*H50*H50*

"You, stupid  _sonofabitch_..." It was the only warning Steve had before the punch knocked him sideways and the SEAL realised that he'd lost time again.

A moment ago he sure he was being poked and prodded against his will by an EMT. The gruff-looking man had quickly assessed his condition, asked him the usual questions - his name, the day of the week, the current US President - to which Steve had simply grunted incoherently whilst quite seriously attempting to push the man away from him. His throat felt like he'd swallowed an entire beach worth of sand, not to mention the aches and pains that had been vying for his attention for what seemed like forever now. The nausea, at least, was temporarily under control, though that may have been due to the fact that he was sitting down, but the dizziness, confusion and the desperate urge to close his eyes and never open them again were the main contenders for the number one spot on his shit-list.

If he concentrated he could vaguely remember the Paramedic ordering him to his feet. He was supposed to follow him the few steps around to the back of the bus so they could lay him out on a stretcher and take him to The Queen's Medical Center. The man had called for assistance and Steve had been helped to his feet before he'd even thought to protest. There was no time for hospital, though. He had to  _go_...

The sting of the blow to his already abused face left him seeing stars as he fell heavily against the side of the ambulance, the cries of dismay from the EMT's ringing just as loudly inside his skull. Steve couldn't persuade his tired body to defend itself as a strong grip on his arm spun him around. The next thing he felt was the back of his head slamming into the unforgiving metal, closely followed by the rest of him.

Forcing his eyes to focus the SEAL was stunned to find his partner before him, the shorter man's face screwed up in anger as he grabbed a fistful of his bloody shirt and pinned him to the side of the large vehicle.

"Where is she, Steven?  _Where's Grace?_  What was so important that you had to leave her on her own in your  _damn_  truck, huh?" Danny was livid, the urge to kill his friend winning out over the hug after all. "Do you have any idea how much I hate you right now, McGarrett?  _Do you?_ " He didn't bother waiting for a response. "I swear on my life if I don't get Gracie back in one piece, or some scumbag touches a single hair on her head, then we are done. Finished. Finito. Do you understand what I'm saying here, Super SEAL? I'm going to walk out on you like every other person in your _damned_  life, and I'll enjoy doing it." The last of his words, words that were designed explicitly to hurt – to make Steve feel even an ounce of his own pain - were punctuated by an additional slam into the side of the ambulance, Steve's entire body folding in from the final blow.

Everyone was too shocked by the scene they'd just witnessed to react. Even HPD stood by and let it happen. It wasn't until Chin arrived on the scene and bodily forced the blond away from his injured partner that the crowd of police officers remembered how to move.

Chin let Sergeant Lukela take command of the furious detective, his concern for the injured SEAL taking precedence for the moment. He felt for Danny, he really did, but there was no excuse for behaviour such as what he'd just had to witness. Danny would see that for himself soon, once he'd had a chance to cool off.

Chin hurried to Steve's side, the head of Five-O wavering unsteadily on his feet as he tried to push away from the side of the ambulance. Where he was trying to go Chin couldn't even begin to imagine. "Whoa, brah. Here, let me help you out, okay?" He didn't know if Steve chose to ignore him or simply hadn't heard his words but he watched the battered SEAL flinch as he was offered a helping hand. "It's me, Chin," the Hawaiian offered as reassurance.

Steve took as deep a breath as his bruised ribs would allow him to as he felt his friend approach. He was dangerously low on adrenaline, the only thing that had kept him going through the last…he didn't know how long, but he knew he still had work to do.  _He needed to find Grace. Grace was the only thing that was important to him right now._

Ignoring the offered hand Steve coughed to clear his throat and forced his head up so he could meet Chin's concerned stare. "A man…CCTV…Grace…" The words were a lot harder to get out than he would have thought. He tried again, coughing once more as his vision started to tunnel. "Four… _four_ , Chin…Grace...need to…"

Chin could do nothing as he watched Steve lose his fight with consciousness, the SEAL's eyes rolling to the back of his head as his legs gave way beneath him. Quick reflexes were the only thing that saved the injured man from hitting the floor. "I need help over here, now!" Chin yelled as he checked the downed man's airway. "Steve? Brah, can you hear me?  _Steve!_ "


	4. Chapter Four

Danny Williams paced.

A litany of muttered words accentuated each angry step as the blond wore a frustrated path into the asphalt; back and forth, around and around; not paying attention to where his feet led him but simply acquiescing to his desperate need for escape.

As was typical of his nature, the detective's hands expressed his temperament better than words ever could; clenched tight into fists at his side one moment as the urge to punch something – _anything_  – once more temporarily overrode his other fiercely competing emotions, yet slack in the next as he ran shaking fingers through his messy hair, over and over and over as he tried to smooth away the stress of the afternoon's events.

He could feel Duke keeping pace with his every step, the HPD Sergeant remaining mute in his self-appointed task, visibly alert in case the Jersey native decided he needed to continue his one-sided brawl with his partner and yet remaining at a respectable enough distance to give him the privacy he so clearly needed. Danny was grateful - for both the distance and the Hawaiian's silence, his own voice a discordant ramble of white noise inside his confused brain as he tried to formulate a plan of action through the debilitating fear that gripped him.

First and foremost, Danny knew he needed to find Grace. It was the only goal that mattered to him; the only thing keeping him upright, on his feet, and just barely functioning at a semi-capable level. And, yeah, maybe if he set his mind to the task at hand then he wouldn't have to deal with the cold, hard fact that he'd just punched his boss - his  _injured_  boss at that - without giving him the chance to defend his actions or explain his side of the story.

_Crap._

Danny knew he was in the wrong, yet he couldn't quite bring himself to acknowledge Steve as his friend right then, the anger he felt for the Navy SEAL still too raw for thoughts in that direction. He decided he'd have to deal with that revelation later, however, pushing it to the back of his mind. First, he needed to focus on Grace; his poor, terrified little Grace who was currently off radar in every aspect of the phrase. Danny seriously had no clue as to who had taken her, why she'd been targeted or even where she could be, but he was determined to find out. He  _had to_ … There was simply no reason for living without his beautiful little Grace in his life. Not a single one.

Subconsciously, Danny's feet led him in a full circle and back towards McGarrett's Chevy. It was Ground Zero for what was clearly turning into the very worst day of his life. It was the scene of the crime, the last place Grace had been before she'd been snatched right from under Steve's nose - so that's where he needed to start. He was a detective; he could do this... _right_?

_Wrong_.

There was a simple, quite obvious reason cops weren't allowed to work a case they were personally and/or emotionally invested in and Detective Williams was no exception to this particular rule.

One glance at the smashed window of the truck had Danny yanking at the collar of his shirt and his already loosened tie, his airway tightening as the fear and panic struck once more. It didn't matter that he knew what to expect this time. Seeing the scene of the crime was like having his heart torn out for a second, third and fourth consecutive time. The echo of Grace's screams replayed themselves at full volume inside his head, the sound of glass shattering as his daughter begged for his help permanently ingrained into his skull, as indelible as a tattoo.

It was torture, pure and simple; the worst kind ever devised. No parent should have to suffer such atrocity – it was wrong, it was callous and it was  _inhuman_. Danny didn't know how anyone could bring themselves to hurt a defenseless young child in order to get to someone else. It just didn't make sense to him...it really didn't. One thing he did know, however, was that jail would be too kind a punishment for whoever had taken his daughter from him. Danny wanted to make the bastard pay, and he was damned if he wouldn't. If anything had happened to Grace;  _anything…_

A shudder ran through the Jersey native as he tried to force away unwanted images from past cases. Children, some as young as Grace, some even younger, bearing the brunt of the punishment aimed at their parents… There were some truly twisted people on this planet. Danny just prayed to God that Grace wasn't currently in the hands of one of them.

As soon as Danny allowed his concentration to falter, his mind losing track of the task at hand, the despair that had slowly been clawing its way up through his skin started to win its vicious fight for control. The detective stumbled heavily as he felt his body attempt to shut down under the onslaught, ignoring the offered assistance from Duke as he steadied himself against a parked car and used a shaking hand to wipe the sweat from his eyes. "Oh, God, Gracie, I'm so sorry.  _I'm so sorry..._ " His voice cut off with a strangled gasp as he swallowed down a scream of despair.

There was so much he needed to do and Danny fully understood that he had a limited window of time in which to do it... Three hours. Statistics showed that most abducted children were dead within the first one-hundred-and-eighty minutes, so, more than ever, Grace was counting on him. He'd promised he would keep her safe when he'd spoken to her over the phone and that wasn't something he planned on failing in. He was going to get Grace back and he was going to make the sonofabitch that had taken her pay dearly for his crimes. It was that simple.  _It had to be..._

"Snap out of it, there's no time for this," Danny reprimanded himself vehemently, wiping his sweaty palms on the leg of his pants as he moved away from the car he was leaning on. Pulling the cell phone from his pocket, he forced a deep breath into his lungs in an effort to clear his head, knowing he'd be no help to anyone if he didn't pull himself together. He'd certainly be no help to Grace.

With that resolve firmly in place he was ready for action.

Dialing Kono's number the blond only had to wait a few seconds for the petite Hawaiian to answer. "Hey, Danny. Any news, brah?" Her voice was unnaturally void of her usual cheer.

"Chin's with Steve while EMS look him over," Danny responded quickly, his own voice rough with emotion. There was an awkward pause but he didn't feel up to clarifying any further details on that matter. "Listen, Kono, I'm at Steve's truck. Whoever took Grace smashed through the passenger window and grabbed her. I need you to see if you can find anything on the mall's CCTV-"

"I'm already one step ahead of you, brah," Kono interrupted. "I felt a little useless waiting around for one of you to call so I've spoken to the Ala Moana's security team and they've allowed access to both inside and outside CCTV. It may take a while to go through everything, though. They have security cameras practically everywhere…"

"Hey, it's a start. Kalakaua, you have no idea how much I adore you right now, you hear me?" The Jersey native allowed himself a partial smile, one that didn't quite reach his red-rimmed eyes, glad to have his team behind him and working at his side.

"We're all here for you, Danny. We'll get Grace back, okay?" Kono believed it wholeheartedly. The alternative simply didn't bear thinking about.

"I hope so, Kono, I really do." Danny heard his voice crack under the strain of holding himself together. Trying to cover it with a cough he was saved from his embarrassment by further information from the rookie.

"The MAILE AMBER Alert is ready to go out, brah. I used the picture of Grace from the frame on your desk… I hope you don't mind? I figured it was the most current. I just need to know what she was wearing today and…Danny, have you spoken to Rachel yet? The last thing either of you need is for her to find out Grace is missing when she sees her face all over the news…"

The rush of words took a few moments to sink into the detective's brain.  _Rachel_ … He hadn't even thought of how he was going to break the news to his ex-wife. She would kill him. No,  _worse_ … If this wasn't enough for her to revoke all access to his daughter, he didn't know what was.  _Damn it!_

"That's next on my list, Kono," he answered flatly. Danny rubbed a hand over his pale face and scratched aimlessly at his head. "As much as I'd love to never have to make that phone call…she needs to know."

Danny let his mind wander as he pictured the photo that had been sitting on his desk back at HQ. Grace was laughing; her beautifully innocent face alive with happiness as she giggled merrily away at her 'Uncle' Steve. Steve had been pulling more and more obscene faces as the night wore on in an effort to keep her from falling asleep in her food. It had been taken the day Danny's younger brother, Matt, had flown into Hawaii for his out-of-the-blue visit. That particular day left a foul, bitter taste in the detective's mouth every time he thought of it, but Grace had loved seeing her Uncle. The photo had been snapped during the afternoon meal that had turned into a late night gathering. Danny, Steve, Rachel, Gracie and Matt had all been there and it had actually been a lot of fun while it had lasted. But lasted, it hadn't…

Forcing the memory away, Danny felt the tears start to fall as his daughter's joyfully smiling face burned itself into his memory. He couldn't live without seeing Grace smiling like that again; he just couldn't.

"Um, okay, Grace was wearing a light purple t-shirt, white leggings and a purple skirt. Her hair was in pigtails and she had her bag with her, the one she wears over her shoulder with the little fluffy rabbit key-ring she likes to pretend is Mr. Hoppy." Ducking down to take a closer look through the damaged window of the Silverado Danny spotted the small shoulder bag lying abandoned in the back seat and Grace's cell phone on the floor. "Oh, the bag's still in the truck…"

"Okay, thanks, brah. The CSI's should be there in a few minutes to handle the scene. I'm going to start on the CCTV. Keep me updated, okay?" Kono didn't acknowledge that Danny was crying. She could hear it in his voice but didn't think he'd want her to make a big deal of it. "Stay positive, brah." With that, she hung up.

The unexpected squawk of Sergeant Lukela's radio from behind him distracted Danny from his morose thoughts as he returned the phone to his pocket, the hurried words barked through the wireless device taking a startlingly long few seconds to sink into his traumatized brain. "Commander McGarrett's down, EMS are working on him now."

Spinning to face the HPD Sergeant, Danny could see the mirrored look of surprise on the older man's face. It was evidence enough that they'd heard the same thing.

* * *

Chin Ho Kelly could do little except watch as the paramedics fussed over the unconscious form of Steve McGarrett, dark eyes brooding with concern as he stood guard over his fallen colleague and friend. The Navy SEAL was down for the count, that much he could be certain of, but until the EMT's were done assessing the frighteningly still Commander they wouldn't know if this was down to exhaustion or whether he'd succumbed to his injuries.

McGarrett looked as though he'd been through Hell, and that was putting it gently. His face and arms were a mass of cuts and bruises that had bled out willingly and without prejudice. Not to mention the appallingly blatant bruising starting to form around the SEAL's throat that looked as though someone had tried to throttle him. How Danny could think Steve had allowed someone to take Grace away without doing all he could to protect her...it was unbelievable. The man was a wreck but Danny was too blinded by his fear for Grace to see it.

Chin shifted slightly as he heard the 'officer down' call go over the radio and exhaled a large sigh, quietly wondering if Danny had heard the broadcast. He felt for Danny, he really did. It was an awful situation for any parent to be in, let alone to be a parent  _and_  a cop - one who knew only too well the sad reality of what happened to children in these types of situations. If the circumstances were different and someone had kidnapped Kono, Chin knew he'd be equally as desperate to get her back but it was no excuse for the way the detective had treated his friend. Danny would eventually see that, of this he was certain. He just hoped it wasn't too late for the pair to salvage their friendship.

Returning his attention to the scene before him Chin watched as the shorter of the two paramedics jumped to his feet and hurried for the back of the ambulance. Raising a questioning eyebrow at the remaining EMT, a man with thick, black hair and matching eyebrows, the Hawaiian moved closer to inspect his boss without getting in the way of the two men at work.

Steve was still unconscious, except now he had an oxygen mask in place. 'Eyebrows' was monitoring his pulse closely, checking his watch and every now and again raising each of the SEAL's eyelids to inspect his pupils. Chin frowned as he watched the man work, his concern growing. "Is everything okay, brah?"

His question was ignored as the first paramedic arrived back on the scene dragging a gurney along behind him. "Step out of the way, sir. Let us work on your friend."

Chin did as he was told, his frown deepening as he watched Eyebrows once more check McGarrett's eyes – this time with a penlight he pulled from his jacket. Something clearly wasn't right…

Chin was about to pull out his badge and demand answers, the paramedics' shared looks of concern starting to eat at his usually unshakeable nerves, when Eyebrows finally turned his attention in his direction. "You know this man?"

"Yeah, that's Lieutenant Commander Steve McGarrett; head of the Governor's Task Force and my boss. Is something wrong?" Chin disliked having to repeat himself but it seemed necessary if he planned on getting any answers from these two.

"We're concerned about his pupillary response. Is it possible this man could have taken any narcotics in the last few hours?"

Chin's immediate reaction to this was disbelief but he kept his voice cool and even as he responded to the allegation. "He's clearly taken several powerful blows to the face and head. Could the pupil reaction not be down to a concussion?"

"A concussion is one possible diagnosis," the first paramedic admitted, throwing a pointed look at his colleague as if to warn him to be careful of what he was implying. "However, Commander McGarrett's heart rate is also unusually slow and he's currently not reacting to any painful stimuli or our attempts to bring him around. Drug intoxication seems a quite probable conclusion."

"Steve would never knowingly take anything, I can promise you this," Chin assured the two men, taking a step closer in order to emphasize his point. "He was involved in an incident this afternoon that unfortunately ended in the kidnapping of an eight-year-old child. If there are drugs in his system then they were in no way willingly taken, however it may help us to explain a few things."

Seeing the enquiring looks his words garnered had Chin swallowing a sigh, not feeling up to going into unnecessary detail with the men. Raising an eyebrow as if to ask what they were going to do next, the shorter paramedic elbowed his partner and they got back to work.

"We'll be moving him to Queen's," Eyebrows informed Chin as he lowered the gurney to floor level and proceeded to gently move Steve onto the stretcher with the help of his partner. "He'll undergo treatment there but for now he's relatively stable." Chin watched with a grim frown as the SEAL offered no reaction to being manhandled by the strangers, not even an unconscious flinch.

"I need you to send a sample of his blood for testing. If there's anything foreign in his system I need to know, brah." Eyebrows nodded as they secured Steve to the gurney, covering him with a lightweight blanket as they started to wheel him towards the back of the ambulance.

Chin watched them work, his mind sorting through the fresh details of the case. If Steve had been drugged it would go a long way in explaining how he'd been unable to stop Grace from being taken. The SEAL's words, right before he'd collapsed, replayed themselves once more in the Hawaiian's head. ' _A man…CCTV…Grace… Four…four, Chin…Grace...need to…'_

_A man…_  Steve quite clearly meant the stranger that had taken Grace, but did it also mean that he knew the person that had taken her or was he simply passing on the information he'd acquired during the kidnapping?  _CCTV..._  Chin let his eyes scan the Ala Moana car park and smiled as he caught sight of several security cameras covering the area. Even drugged and injured, Steve was managing to direct their investigation. This would work in their favour, for sure. Now that left the final part of Steve's cryptic message.  _Four…four, Chin…_ Steve had been pretty insistent on that part. Four... Were there four men involved? If that was the case and Steve had taken on four men, drugged and at the same time trying to protect Grace-

"Chin! Hey, what's going on?" Danny's abrupt arrival cut off the Hawaiian's train of thought as he turned to see his friend's hurried approach. "Where's Steve?"

The blond detective skidded to a halt as he arrived beside Chin Ho, spying his partner's unmoving form on the gurney as the EMT's loaded him carefully into the back of the ambulance. "Damn it, McGarrett…" Danny felt his heart sink at the realization that, with Steve unconscious, they wouldn't be able to question him on the man that had taken Grace. "Where are they taking him?"

"To Queen's. Listen, Danny-"

"I need to be there when he wakes up, Chin. I need to find out everything he knows so I can find Grace-"

"Danny-"

"Do they know how long he's going to be unconscious for? There's not much time-"

"Hey!" Chin winced at the sound of his own raised voice as he interrupted the shorter man but figured it was the only way he was likely to get through to his traumatized brain. Danny froze, eyes wide, as the rest of his sentence was lost to the sudden uncomfortable silence. Chin closed his eyes and allowed a few moments to control his own fraying emotions. As much as Danny was being irrational he knew he was under a lot of stress. Chin had to keep reminding himself of this or he was likely to lose his own temper with the detective.

"Steve's hurt, remember? I'm going to go with him to the hospital," Chin stated firmly so Danny wouldn't think to argue. "You need to concentrate on your family. Call Rachel, okay? You can't be part of this investigation in your current state or you'll make mistakes. Grace is too important to you for me to allow that to happen, do you hear me, brah? Kono and I can handle things from here."

Danny's face screwed up into a frown, the desperation radiating from him in waves. "I can't walk away from this, Chin, I really  _can't_. I need to find Grace and I won't be able to do that from the side-lines." Just the thought of being shut out of the case had him on the brink of hyperventilation. "Please,  _please_  don't ask this of me, okay? I'm _begging_ you here, Chin. I need to be a part of this investigation." His hands were flying all over as his agitation grew and Chin regretted his harsh words.

"I know I've screwed everything up, especially with Steve," Danny admitted, his voice hoarse as he forced his eyes to stray to his unnaturally still partner as he was settled into the back of the ambulance. It was the first time he'd allowed himself to really look at the man's injuries... He didn't like what he saw. "I'm a selfish idiot, okay? I know that. But they have my daughter – my sweet, beautiful Grace and until I get her back I'm not going to rest. I need her, Chin. I don't know what I'll do if something happens to her… Because what am I going to do then, huh? Tell me that! What am I going to do?"

Danny broke down, the fragile barrier that had been struggling to hold back his emotions finally giving way under the strain of the afternoon's events as his harsh sobs shook him to the core. Embarrassed at his candid display of weakness Danny turned away from Chin and swiped angrily at the tears on his face. He didn't have time for feeling sorry for himself. Tears wouldn't help Steve and they certainly wouldn't help Grace.

Chin felt his own throat tighten in sympathy for his friend, having to take a deep breath before he could form any words of his own. "We're here for you, brah." He gave Danny a few moments to compose himself before giving the man's shoulder a reassuring squeeze. "We're going to do everything in our power to get Gracie back, you hear me?"

Chin waited for Danny's approving half-nod before running a hand over his face in exhaustion. It had been an emotional afternoon for everyone involved. He just hoped they would be able to resolve this quickly and without any further casualties. "Look, I'll go with Steve to the hospital. I'm asking you to go home, but I know that's not going to happen. Speak to Rachel and then I suggest you check in with Kono; see if she has anything useful for us. As soon as Steve's awake I'll give you both a call."

Danny threw Chin his most grateful look and offered a weak smile, wiping at his face with the back of his hand. "Thank you, Chin.  _Thank you_." With a final pained look in Steve's direction, Danny patted the Hawaiian on his shoulder and then was off. Chin watched as the Jersey detective stumbled his way across the car park, his concern apparent in the tightness of his scowl. If this situation didn't resolve itself soon, Danny was going to crack. There was no doubt about it.

"Oh, I hope you know what you're doing," Chin muttered quietly to himself before climbing into the back of the ambulance, ready to accompany Steve to the hospital.


	5. Chapter Five

Shifting onto her tiptoes Kono Kalakaua stretched her aching body as it protested at the length of time she'd spent huddled over the SMART table. When she'd told Danny there was a lot of CCTV footage to go through she really hadn't been kidding and, with the time it was taking the hi-tech computer system to simply download the data, she was seriously beginning to think she'd be stuck at HQ until long past midnight… The thought wasn't a pleasant one but the young rookie was determined to do anything and everything she could to help out. Danny and Grace were like family, now - her ohana – and she would do everything in her power to make sure they were reunited as quickly as possible.

Kono was startled from her determined thoughts as her cell vibrated gently from its position on the desk by the sun-brightened window. Glad for the distraction she wandered over and grabbed the phone, resting gracefully against the solid piece of furniture as she answered the call from her cousin, the warmth from the window a welcome relief to her tired body.

"Hey there, Cuz. Are you checking up on me?" She heard a soft chuckle across the line at her feigned accusation.

"Should I be checking up on you, Little Cousin?" Chin questioned with genuine curiosity.

"Oh, you know me. I can find trouble just about anywhere," she quipped, swiping at a stray strand of hair that had fallen across her face before getting straight down to business. "How are things there, brah?"

"Things are growing more and more complicated, hoahanau." Kono heard the resignation in Chin's voice as he updated her on the situation. "I'm with Steve at Queen's. He's unconscious but otherwise stable, however the paramedic believes he was drugged."

" _Drugged_?" Kono struggled to hide the bite of anger in her words. "But who could have…how… _when_?"

"That's what I'm hoping you'll be able to find out. Listen, Danny said he left Steve and Grace at the Ala Moana around one-thirty this afternoon. You need to check out the CCTV in the car park and follow their every step. Something had to have happened between the time Danny left and when Grace was taken."

"Okay, I'm on it, Cuz. Have you heard if Steve will be okay?"

"Hey, he'll be fine; this is Steve McGarrett we're talking about, remember?" Kono smiled at that one, a wave of relief crashing over her at her cousin's words. If Chin said there was no reason to worry, things would be fine. She had that much faith in him, and more.

"One more thing," Chin added, his voice losing its cheerful demeanour and settling on serious. "Danny's on his way to you. You need to be careful around him, Kono. He's not handling this very well."

"C'mon, Chin. Danny's in a bad place, right now. You know that." She instinctively defended the Jersey native as she twirled a piece of her hair around her finger.

"I'm serious, Kono." There was a pause as he seemed to consider his words carefully. "Danny punched Steve right before he collapsed. He also said some pretty nasty things to him, Cuz…"

Kono frowned, shaking her head in disbelief. "No, Danny wouldn't…"

"I was there. I didn't quite believe it myself but it happened. I'm not saying he's a danger to you but you need to know he's not quite himself at the moment, okay? Just…be careful."

Kono chewed at her lip, her concern for Danny growing at Chin Ho's words of warning. Danny was a strong, intelligent guy and could withstand a lot – something she'd witnessed firsthand. Kono had seen him rant and gesture, joke and snark his way through some of the most unexpected and quite unbelievably dangerous situations in his time with Five-0. It took a  _lot_  to bring the man down but with Grace involved... Whoever had his little girl had the detective off-balance, not thinking straight and yet exactly where they wanted him. He would quite literally jump through hoops if it was demanded of him.

Five-O needed to work hard to get Grace back and they needed to get her back  _now_.

"I'll be fine, Chin. Don't worry," she assured him, running a hand through her hair before jumping to her feet as the SMART table signalled that it had finally completed downloading the files.

"I'll call you in about an hour. I still need to get Steve signed in and I'm guessing his blood test results are going to take at least that long. I'm making them put a rush on everything. One of the perks of having my badge back, I guess." The old, care-free Chin was back and Kono smiled in relief.

"I'll let you know if anything comes up this end, brah," she promised before they both hung up without needing to say goodbye.

With a final, cat-like stretch the rookie Officer gave a long sigh before returning to her original position by the SMART table.

* * *

Danny Williams once more found himself pacing. His feet, just like his hands, seemed to have a mind of their own as they led him in a full circle around the Kamehameha Statue while he waited for Rachel to pick up his call.

Five times.

Five times he'd called her cell now and five times she hadn't answered; the irritating, pre-recorded message from his ex-wife declaring she was unable to take his call and that he should leave a message and a number for her to call him back starting to grate on what little patience he was clinging onto for dear life.

Danny wanted to scream, the agonising sound rising in the back of his throat as he clenched his mouth shut tight and forced in a deep breath through his nose. Of all the times for Rachel to be unattainable why did it have to be now? It was quite literally a life or death situation and yet she was clearly far too busy caught up in her whirlwind romance with Stan to be answering the phone…

_"Hello, this is Rachel Edwards. I'm afraid I'm unable to take your call right now…"_  As the call hit voicemail once more, Danny swore under his breath and waited impatiently for the tone that signalled he could leave his message.

"Rachel, it's me, Danny.  _Again_ , I might add. Listen, if there was ever a time I needed you to answer the phone then it would be right now, okay? I have some…some bad news and I need you to hear it from me first…before you see it all over the local news and radio and start worrying and crying and…"  _Shit, he'd screwed this up already._  "Look, just do me a favour and drop whatever it is you're doing and give me a call, okay? I'm  _begging_  you here, Rachel,  _please_ …"

Fighting the childish urge to throw his cell phone to the ground, Danny hung up and returned it safely to his pocket. With a silent prayer that Rachel would see his message and missed phone calls sooner rather than later, the blond detective recalculated his route and headed for the entrance to the Five-0 Headquarters.

* * *

Kono glanced up as Danny stormed his way through the glass doors, his face set into a deep scowl as he rubbed his hands over the front of his crumpled shirt and came to a halt a few feet from where she stood. To say he looked a mess was a complete understatement but the rookie returned to chewing her lip as she abandoned her search of the CCTV footage to greet the distraught man.

"Hey, Danny…" Kono would never admit it but Chin's words had her a little on edge. She wasn't worried that Danny would hurt her, not at all, but the man had trouble controlling his mouth at the best of times and the last thing she needed was for him to turn his anger in her direction, even if he didn't mean it.

"Kono, hey… Any luck with the cameras yet?" Danny watched as the young Hawaiian worried at her lip, a sure sign the rookie Officer was nervous, and frowned. "What's wrong, babe?"

"Nothing's wrong, Danny. I just wanted to see how you were holding up, is all…"

Danny sighed, turning his back on Kono as he ran both hands through his hair for what felt like the millionth time that afternoon. At the rate he was going, and with the never-ending barrage of stress he was under, the Jersey native wouldn't be surprised to find himself going bald by the end of the day. "Chin told you what happened with Steve."

It wasn't a question but Kono felt the need to answer anyway. "Look, Danny-" but her words were cut off as the man in question spun to face her with a pleading look on his face.

"Kono, please. Not now, okay? I've already had Chin on my case so I really don't need it from you too. I am seriously  _this_  close from crumbling, alright? I understand I had no right to hit Steve but I'm hurting too, you know? It feels like someone's ripped my heart out with their bare hands and put it out on display for everyone to see. I just need to concentrate on getting my daughter back, my beautiful little Monkey, and then I'll aploogise and hand in my resignation. Whatever it takes… Steve deserves better; you all do… I'm sorry, okay? I am  _so_  sorry… What more can I say? What more do you want me to do? Tell me and I'll do it…" By the end of his rant Danny was hyperventilating and Kono had tears in her eyes. Without a word she walked up to Danny and threw her arms around him, squeezing him tight as he sobbed into her hair.

"Oh, Danny… It's okay, brah. We're all here for you."

"I just need her back, Kono. I need her so badly it hurts." Danny pulled away, rubbing at his eyes and sniffing loudly. "Chin says I should go home but if I do that I'll just end up climbing the walls."

Walking over to the window the blond gazed at the slowly sinking sun, allowing the warmth still radiating through the glass to dry his tears as he tried to get his emotions back under control. "I've never been good at any of this stuff, you know. A few years back when Grace fell out of a tree and broke her arm I was in pieces. Rachel tried to have me sedated whilst we were at the hospital," he admitted with a sad smile at the memory. "I think I made more of a fuss than poor Gracie did."

"It's natural to be worried, Danny," Kono sympathised. She moved close enough to place a comforting hand on his shoulder, her concern growing as she felt the man trembling beneath her touch. "No one is blaming you except yourself."

"I should have been there. I should have been able to protect her…" The agony apparent in the detective's words was heart-breaking. "But do you wanna know what the worst part is?" Danny turned to face a helpless Kono, his eyes shining once more with tears. "I have no clue who has her.  _No_.  _Clue_. I don't know if this is a ransom attempt or if someone is using her to get at me, or to one of you guys… I have no clue. For all I know she could be in the hands of a crazed murderer or a paedophile… Oh, God-" Danny's fears became too much, the unexpected swell of nausea forcing him to race for the restroom where he threw up what little was left inside his stomach.

Kono grabbed a cool glass of water from the canteen and waited for his return, offering an encouraging smile as he stepped out of the bathroom a few minutes later looking the palest she'd seen him. "HPD are going through all of our recent arrests and on-going cases to see if this could be related to any of them. They're going to let us know what they come up with, Danny. You don't have to handle this on your own, brah." Danny accepted the glass of water and held it to his sweaty forehead, closing his eyes as he revelled in the coolness.

"I know. Thank you, Kono." His voice was ruined, the emotion clogging his airway causing his voice to crack. Forcing a small mouthful of water into his parched throat Danny winced as it hit his stomach before slumping against the SMART table with a sigh.

"Hey, so do you feel up to helping me with the CCTV footage?" Kono had to repeat herself twice before the words seemed to sink in.

"Yeah, I can do that…"

"C'mon, brah." Kono held out a comforting hand which the exhausted detective willingly accepted.

* * *

Shifting in the uncomfortably hard plastic chair with his legs stretched out before him, Chin Ho Kelly ran a hand through his dark hair and sighed as he watched over the unmoving figure of Steve McGarrett, the gentle rise and fall of the unconscious man's chest prompting only a small amount of comfort.

Steve had been settled into a private room in the hospital a little over twenty-five minutes ago and Chin had been at the man's side ever since. There was something unsettling about seeing his boss, an incredibly strong man both physically and mentally, in this helpless condition that didn't sit quite right with him. It was a difficult thing to witness.

Since Chin had seen Steve last the nurses had methodically cleaned away the worst of the blood and dirt from the SEAL's body, although now that simply meant you could see the damage in clearer detail. They'd stitched and bandaged the nasty cut above his eyebrow, covered his right wrist with a light cast and replaced his torn and bloodied shirt with hospital scrubs. The 'road rash' on both arms had been cleaned and covered as best as possible but little could be done about the bruising. It was everywhere and Chin felt his own body shudder in sympathy at what McGarrett had to have gone through in his bid to protect Grace.

At least Steve finally looked a little more human… If you ignored the vicious bruising now more apparent than ever around his throat and the fact that he hadn't twitched or even made any attempt to stir since collapsing in the mall parking lot. How long ago had that been, now? It had to have been nearly two hours, at least. Time was escaping them fast.

The young trainee nurse that had shown him to McGarrett's room had assured him that Steve would awaken soon. Chin took solace in that fact as he checked his watch and let his eyes wander back to the ECG machine that was keeping rhythm with the slow and steady pace of Steve's heart. "C'mon, brah. Wake up soon, huh?"

"Aloha. Are you Detective Kelly?" At the unexpected sound of his name Chin turned to find a pretty middle-aged woman in the doorway, her relaxed stance and genuine smile an almost welcome relief to the tension currently thrumming through his own body. From the long white coat, stethoscope and grey clipboard in her hands, the Hawaiian guessed she was the person he'd been waiting for.

"Aloha. Are you here with Steve's test results?" At her nod the detective climbed quickly to his feet and went with the doctor as she gestured for him to follow her out into the hallway, throwing one last glance at the SEAL over his shoulder before pulling the door closed behind him.

"Detective Kelly, I'm Doctor Kekoa, but you may call me Kala," the brunette woman introduced herself with a warm smile as they came to a stop in the hallway.

"Please, call me Chin. What can you tell me about Steve?"

"Oh, straight to the point, huh? I like that in a man," she laughed gently, the sound incredibly refreshing after the afternoon he'd just had to deal with.

"I apologize, it's been a pretty brutal day," Chin admitted with an embarrassed smile, scratching self-consciously at the back of his head.

"Oh, don't worry. I've had worse, believe me. Now, Commander McGarrett's blood results came back and unfortunately it showed steadily declining levels of GHB in his system."

"GHB? Isn't that-?"

"Correct. GHB is gamma-hydroxybutyrate, a central nervous system depressant that is typically abused for its intoxicating effects. Now, I don't personally know Steven McGarrett but he doesn't strike me as the type of man to be dabbling in this kind of substance, is this correct?"

"Most definitely."

"Good, I hate it when I'm wrong. So, the other side of the coin is that someone used the GHB in a much larger dose in order to exacerbate its other common effects."

"As a sedative, right?"

"Correct, again. Now, I've calculated the dose to be somewhere between 5,500 and 6,500mg. You should understand that in your average male this dose could very well have been fatal."

"Oh, believe me, Steve is far from average," Chin commented with a relieved grin, glad one piece of good news could be gleaned from such a dire situation.

"So it seems," Kala agreed with a mischievous smile of her own. "His injuries are fortunately quite minor – mostly cuts and a lot of bruising, but he has a minor concussion and a hairline fracture to his right wrist. My main concern, however, is the bruising at his neck. There are signs of internal swelling so we've had to start a course of anti-inflammatories to ensure his airway won't be affected."

Allowing a few moments for the information to sink in, Doctor Kekoa added, "If the evidence is correct then your friend put up one heck of a fight before succumbing to the sedative."

"That sounds like the Navy SEAL I know," Chin readily agreed. "What are the likely side effects to the GHB? And do you have any idea when he's likely to wake?"

"Typical side-effects can include nausea, dizziness, drowsiness and agitation. Visual disturbances aren't uncommon and unfortunately amnesia is a prevalent occurrence after a dose such as the one your friend was given. As for him waking, I'm pretty certain it will be within the next hour or so, but hey, he could still prove me wrong. Just don't go expecting any lengthy discussions with him for a few hours after he's woken, okay? In fact, don't expect much at all."

"Doctor Kekoa – Kala, you've been a great help. I really cannot thank you enough. Mahalo." Chin shook her hand enthusiastically.

"Any time. Now, if you have any further questions please don't hesitate to find me. It was nice meeting you, Chin." With a parting smile the doctor turned and headed in the opposite direction. Chin watched her walk away before pulling his cell from his pocket.

With his back still to the door Chin failed to spot the man that crept stealthily out of McGarrett's room, closing the door quietly behind him as he fled down the hallway without even a backwards glance.

* * *

"Whoa, Danny, take a look at this." Kono forced her eyes away from the small display on the SMART table to catch the piercing gaze of the blond as she gestured him closer. The pair had been scanning through the Ala Moana's CCTV recordings for the last hour now, time flying by unnoticed, but it seemed they were finally making progress.

In all honesty, Danny was just glad for the distraction. He'd been finding it harder and harder to concentrate with each passing second, his mind occupied with other things… When Rachel was going to call back; how the time was ticking by too quickly for Grace; whether she was still on the island…  _Steve_.  _Too much_ ; there was too much to think about… "What have you got?"

Between the pair of them they had swiftly found the footage of Danny and an excited Grace meeting Steve outside the mall. It was once his daughter and the SEAL had set foot inside the Ala Moana Center that things had gone downhill. With more than half a dozen security cameras on each floor of the building and a poor understanding of the way the coded security system worked, Kono had eventually resorted to calling back her contact at the mall for his help in deciphering their system.

"Something's happened here. Look." Kono enlarged the screen to allow Danny better access as he came to stand at her side. They both watched in mute anticipation as, on-screen, Steve was seen dragging a bewildered Grace along at an unsteady pace, his hand gripping tight to her skinny arm as they stumbled towards the exit. Even without sound or a clearer picture the pair could see that the Navy SEAL was unbalanced and struggling to stay upright. "This must be just before Grace was taken. Steve's heading straight for the exit..."

Danny felt his heart clench at the realisation that, in just a few meaningless minutes of tape, his daughter would be in the hands of...God only knew who. At least their chances were good that the man would be on tape. It was a start...right? "Okay, I'll folllow their path out into the car park. You should backtrack and see if you can find what caused Steve to run." Kono nodded her agreement and went straight back to work, her face set into a determined scowl.

Danny returned to his side of the table and took a deep breath, clenching his hands into fists in a desperate bid to stop his fingers from trembling. Glancing at Kono from the corner of his eye he was grateful to see the rookie's focus was on her work and not on him as he slowly fell apart, piece by piece. Resisting the urge to check his watch, instead he unclenched his fingers and put them to use on the desktop, his progress slower than the nimble, well-practiced fingers of the young Hawaiian but something was still better than nothing.

It didn't take long for Danny to find the right footage after all. With a glance to make sure Kono wasn't watching he swallowed a deep breath and pushed the play button, wanting to see the incident for himself before he allowed anyone else to see. It was for purely selfish reasons, mostly. A large part of him felt he deserved to see his daughter's kidnapping first, but a smaller, more desperate side also wanted to prove that the part of him that had attacked McGarrett was justified. Not because he felt justified – not in the slightest; but because it would make him feel within his rights to lose control.

Danny was a professional and professionals didn't lose control. Professionals could handle a case like this without cracking under the pressure, couldn't they? Because if he cracked…if he got himself thrown off the case, what exactly was he good for, then?

_Nothing_ ; that's what.  _Absolutely nothing_.

The sight that played out in front of his eyes was enough to freeze the air in his lungs. He must have made a sound of distress as Kono was suddenly by his side, one hand rubbing gently at the small of his back in order to comfort him as they watched Steve stumble into a parked car before he bent double and vomited.

Kono felt the fear bubble up in her chest as she watched Steve throw himself at the three men that were approaching from his six. Drugged or not, Steve was a fierce fighter and up until he was struck from behind she found herself praying he was going to get away. She knew different but she couldn't help it. Kono had to look away as her boss was viciously beaten, Danny's stifled gasps and groans all the commentary she needed.

Danny felt the tears fall silently as he watched his partner, his  _friend_ , quite literally fighting to his last breath to get to Grace as she was dragged away. When Steve gave a final twitch before falling still the detective felt his knees grow weak, his vision clouding as he forgot to breath.

"Danny…"

Danny couldn't have responded had his life depended upon it. He was too busy hating himself with a raging passion, the anger a slow and steady burn from deep within his veins. Steve hadn't deserved his hate, his lack of faith, his  _rage_. Danny had raised his hand to a man that had given his  _everything_  to protect the most important thing in his life. How was he supposed to live with that knowledge? How was he supposed to look Steven in the eyes? Face him on a daily basis?  _How_?

"Danny, please talk to me…"

Danny shook his head, stumbling back from the table with both hands fisted at his skull. "I…I need to…" Kono took a step towards the detective, both hands raised in a calming manner but he moved further away, not willing to let her touch him.

"What have I done?"

"Danny, this isn't your-"

"I need to go. Now. To the hospital. I have to…I have to see Steve…"

As if a switch had been flipped Danny went quiet, his harsh breathing settling back to an almost normal rate. His voice, when he next spoke, was emotionless; almost robotic. Kono didn't like it, not one bit. "Kono, will you take me to the hospital, please?"

Taking a deep breath of her own, ignoring the fresh tears that made wet tracks down her face, Kono nodded. "C'mon, brah, I'll get HPD to take over from here. I'll drive."


	6. Chapter Six

His hearing was the first of his senses to return as Steve McGarrett wrestled his way back to consciousness with a stubborn scowl of determination.

The rhythmic pounding of his strong heart was echoed vociferously by the medical equipment he was connected to, the sound a painfully lurid confirmation that he was currently residing in one of the island's local hospitals. As to why he was there his mind drew a complete and total blank, but for now the SEAL didn't consider it worthy of his apprehension. What did concern him, however, was the whereabouts of the rest of his team and whether they had been injured themselves…

Deciding he wouldn't be able to discover much if he was lying prone in a hospital bed, Steve took stock of his injuries as he waited for the rest of his faculties to return. Slowly but surely the numbness was fading from his body, the dull aches and sharp pains an unpleasant but necessary step in his plan of action.

It was at this point that he noticed he wasn't alone in the room.

Unable to force his eyes open, the bitter tang of leftover narcotics coating the back of his swollen throat, Steve kept his breathing even as he used his remaining senses to garner as much information as possible. Until he was certain the presence in the room wasn't a threat there was no reason to make it obvious he was awake. And if it was simply a nurse completing her rounds, well, he could feel stupid later…right?

Straining his ears Steve could pick out the mutterings of a hushed voice coming from what he could only assume to be the corner of the room. The incessant throb of his aching skull and the ECG machine at his bedside prevented him from understanding exactly what was being said, but he was equally as proficient at garnering information from  _how_ words were delivered as he was from the actual words themselves.

In a matter of seconds Steve was wholly convinced of two things. Firstly, the man in his room was definitely not a nurse, a doctor, nor any one of the hundreds of staff the hospital employed, and secondly, he meant trouble.

Fighting the instinct that growled at him to  _incapacitate first, ask questions later_  the head of Five-O ran a full body check to ascertain the extent of his injuries. Apart from a ridiculous amount of bruising that was surely colouring him an ugly shade of black and blue, Steve's main concern was the persistent throb of his right wrist and the uncomfortable tightness to his throat.

The cuts and bruises were nothing – he'd dealt with far worse. The wrist was more of an issue, but strict Navy training meant he was proficient at fighting with both his left and his right as his dominant hand. His main concern, however, was the distinct tightness to his throat that hinted he'd been on the wrong end of someone with a grudge – and a thick piece of rope, if he didn't know any better. The nasal cannula ensured he was receiving a steady supply of oxygen but it did little to ease the pain of swallowing or the slight rasp to each of his breaths.

Forcing the minor concerns to the back of his mind, a second attempt at encouraging his eyes open finally yielded in a little success. The bright lights situated directly above his head, however, seemed to have ideas to the contrary as they sent daggers of pain right to the very centre of the SEAL's concussed brain.

Steve was unable to bite back the grunt of discomfort caused by his actions as his eyes snapped shut, swallowing thickly as an unexpected wave of nausea struck hard and fast. He refused to allow his stomach the satisfaction of winning that particular battle but the ECG machine quickly exposed the abrupt racing of his heart.

The voice at the other end of the room stopped, the ensuing near-silence as unsettling as the knowledge that Steve had no idea what was coming next. His body tensed, awakening each and every ache and bruise with an angry start as he prepared to defend himself with whatever means necessary.

Soft footsteps shuffled closer.

Steve mentally cursed the tubes and wires that anchored him to the cot. He had no issue with ripping them from his own skin but was reluctant to cause any unnecessary damage to the expensive machinery. If he was left with no other choice, though, he would.

The SEAL could hear the man's stinted breaths as he came to a standstill a few feet from his bedside. With his sight temporarily compromised and his other senses overcompensating Steve could smell the worn leather of the man's jacket and the nauseating spice of his stale cologne. Licking dry lips with his equally dry tongue Steve silently counted to three before once more attempting to open his eyes.

The bright flash of light that greeted him as he forced heavy eyelids to do his bidding was enough to drag a pained yelp from the SEAL, his body instinctively curling in on itself, further aggravating his bruised ribs as he cursed violently and fought the urge to throw up and pass out…not necessarily in that order.

Refusing to show weakness in the face of unknown danger Steve once more forced his eyes to open, ignoring the tears that left a damp trail down his cheeks as he squinted pathetically in an attempt to take in his blurry hospital room.

His empty hospital room…

"Shit." The heartfelt curse was enough to slow the erratic beating of his heart, the ECG machine dying down once more to mere background noise instead of the deafening staccato of a few moments before. Had he imagined the presence in his room? The lingering coloured lights in his retinas hinted at a camera flash. He couldn't have imagined that, surely? The lights above his head would be inefficient at causing such an effect… So who had been in his hospital room – taking photos, no less – and why?

Steve needed answers.

_Now_.


	7. Chapter Seven

Spying Rachel's name on the small, flashing display of his cell phone, Danny Williams was overcome by an unexpected wave of outright terror, his knees threatening to give way beneath him as his body stuttered to an abrupt halt. He could hear his thundering heart beating in his ears, the sounds of the hospital and the everyday bustle of life around him wholly drowned out by his own ragged breathing.

This was it; the moment of truth.

Danny was going to have to explain to his ex-wife that their daughter, their beautiful, innocent little Gracie, had been kidnapped and, as of yet, he had no clue on how he was planning on getting her back; who had her, or even where she'd been taken. This was possibly the hardest thing he'd had to do in his entire life.

Kono paused mid-step as she reached the glass double doors of the Medical Center, turning back to see that Danny had fallen behind. It didn't take Sherlock Holmes to deduce who the phone call had to be from. Chewing on her lip, she was about to offer to stay as moral support when he caught her concerned gaze and shook his head. "I…I need to take this, Kono. I'll meet you up there in a bit."

His voice was broken; a low, gravel-filled whisper; the Jersey native's distress as apparent as the sun in the bright sky above them. He threw her a weak smile and urged her to go on with a small wave of his free hand.

"Danny…"

" _Please_ , Kono. Just…let me do this, okay? I need to do this." The ' _before I screw this up, too_ ', was left unspoken.

With an accepting nod the rookie continued on through the doors, reluctantly leaving Danny standing on his own with the ringing phone clutched in a deathly grip.

Without waiting to ensure Kono was out of sight, Danny was spinning on his heels and heading for the rear of the hospital. His gait was uncoordinated, his steps uncertain as he moved but his face had taken on a highly nauseated, yet determined scowl. "C'mon, Williams... You can do this."

But no; he couldn't.

His breath coming in short, painful gasps, the detective belatedly realised he was hyperventilating as he fell against the small wall that bordered the grassed area at the back of the building, one hand tugging futilely at the collar of his shirt - as if the simple gesture could help him breathe even a little better. His vision had started to fade around the edges as his body's need for oxygen grew with his mounting panic.

Each shrill ring of the cell phone was like a butcher's knife to the gut. He could make the pain stop by answering the phone, though, couldn't he? But then he would have to face his worst nightmare… By telling Rachel he'd failed to protect Grace it was as if he would finally have to accept that this was really, truly happening and he would have to accept the undeniable fact that he was a terrible father. The only reason Danny had moved to the Island was to keep Grace safe, wasn't it? Yet quite clearly he'd failed at that.

" _Grace_ …"

His own choked cry was enough to break partway through the whirlpool of despair that was trying to smother him. Without further thought he pressed the 'accept' button on his cell and raised the device to his ear, dragging in a lungful of air with no small effort. "Rach…?"

The dialling tone was the only sound that greeted him.

* * *

Chin Ho Kelly rubbed a soothing hand across the bridge of his nose as he quietly let himself back into McGarrett's hospital room, the tension from the day's events building into a persistent, pounding headache that had settled stubbornly above his left eyebrow. He studiously continued to ignore it, his thoughts occupied with the man still lying prone in the sterile, white room.

Chin wasn't afraid to admit it; despite Doctor Kekoa's assurances that, given time to rest and heal, Steve would be back on top form in no time, the test results had him more than a little concerned. Not only did the GHB suggest prior, highly professional planning, but the possibility of Steve not being able to remember what had happened – who had taken Grace, and why she had been targeted in the first place – left a sour taste at the back of his throat.

Knowing Steve as well as he did, the man was not going to take the news well. He would be devastated, and the last thing anyone needed right now was for the SEAL to blame himself for what had happened.

But he would, anyway. That was just Steve's way.

Dropping heavily into the seat at his friend's bedside, his thoughts lingering on the drama yet to occur, it took a few moments for the tired Hawaiian to realise that Steve was already awake - if not quite his usually alert self - his friend's red-rimmed eyes blinking owlishly against the bright lights in the room. "Hey, look who's back with us," he chuckled with no small amount of relief. "How're you feeling, brah?"

Steve offered a sleepy grin at the familiar sound of his friend's voice, his body instinctively relaxing in the older man's presence as he forced confusing thoughts of the stranger to the back of his mind. If Chin was around, there was nothing to worry about. His grin quickly faded to a grimace, however, as he attempted to make himself more comfortable on the thin, lumpy mattress, reawakening the countless bumps and bruises that littered his body.

Chin sensed the SEAL's discomfort and pressed the call button for the nurse without waiting for permission. Knowing Steve, he'd prefer to suffer in silence but Chin was hoping to protect him for a little while longer. Despite knowing Steve was in no way to blame for Grace's kidnapping, it didn't take a rocket scientist to know the man was going to hold himself solely accountable. "You took quite a beating; you're going to be sore for a few days yet."

Steve swallowed thickly and raised one hand to rub at his watery eyes, ignoring the IV imbedded in his skin with practised ease. "Chin…" His voice cracked painfully but the head of Five O pushed past the discomfort and forced himself to continue. "The others…okay? Danny…Kono?"

Chin rose to his feet and moved swiftly to the bedside table on McGarrett's far side, grabbing a small cup of chipped ice before returning to his seat. "Yeah, brah; we're all okay." At Steve's disbelieving look the Hawaiian offered an honest smile, leaning forward with a spoon in his hand. "The only one in hospital right now is you, Steve." It was the truth; no one could deny that. It just wasn't quite the truth Steve wanted.

Steve gratefully accepted the offer of ice from his friend, the frozen water a touch of heaven against his parched and swollen throat. He used the moment's respite to sort through the muddle that was his memories, but as much as he tried to fight his way through the fog that clouded his brain, he couldn't grasp onto anything with much clarity. After a few more delicate mouthfuls the SEAL resumed his interrogation, sensing that Chin wasn't being completely upfront with him. "What happened, Chin? How did I end up in here?"

Chin felt his heart sink at the question from the injured man, hiding his disappointed look with great effort. His hopes that Steve would prove Doctor Kekoa wrong - that he would remember - were quickly diminishing.

Swallowing his immediate fears, Kelly balanced the suddenly unimportant plastic cup on one knee and massaged his temple with his free hand, slumping backwards into the chair. "It's complicated, brah. I  _will_  answer your question, but first I need you to tell me what the last thing is you remember?"

Steve couldn't disguise the sudden pounding of his heart as he absorbed the look of discomfort on the detective's face. He'd known Chin a long time. If the man was skirting around a direct answer then things were far more serious than he'd first anticipated. "C'mon, what aren't you telling me?" He locked eyes with the Hawaiian as he waited for a response but none came.

Before he could start demanding answers, a gentle knock preceded the door opening as a nurse let herself into his room.

"Aloha, Commander McGarrett. It is good to see you are finally awake." Mindless of the conversation she had just interrupted and the tense atmosphere in the room, the pretty, young nurse made her way over to the SEAL's bedside and started her routine checks. "How are we feeling? Are you in much pain?"

For a fleeting moment, Chin thought Steve was going to ignore the woman's polite questions, instead choosing to maintain the fierce glare in his direction. Chin broke eye contact first, dropping his gaze to the floor, and Steve quickly followed his lead before turning his attention back to his newest visitor. "I'm good, thank you. When can I get out of here?"

Chin didn't even have to protest at the ridiculous question before the nurse responded with her own patient smile, one borne from dealing with stubborn patients on a regular basis. "Oh, not for a few days yet, Commander. We need to get these nasty drugs out of your system first, don't we? Now, Doctor Kekoa will be along to see you shortly. Would you like me to help you sit up?"

At the mention of drugs, Steve's brow furrowed, his eyes once more seeking out Chin but the detective kept his gaze locked firmly on the back of the nurse's head, unwilling to accept the responsibility of answering his friend's questions just yet. Steve bit his tongue, biding his time for the moment but feeling his irritation growing, nodding his permission for the nurse to adjust the height of the bed so he could sit up. His thoughts were all over the place, trying to put together rational scenarios for the way Chin was acting; refusing to answer his questions; not meeting his gaze. Something was wrong, here;  _seriously_  wrong, and he needed to know what that 'something' was.

A second knock on the door startled McGarrett from his thoughts, the nurse catching him off-guard as she raised the head of the bed and quickly readjusted the pillows behind his back. The resulting groan of pain was heard by everyone in the room, as well as by Kono as she quietly let herself in through the door with a small frown of concern. "Hey, Boss. I'd ask how you're feeling but I think I can hear for myself."

Steve had to wait for the pain in his ribs to dull a little before he could bring himself to respond with a half-hearted smile. The façade was short-lived, however, as the nurse added a note to the end of her patient's chart and excused herself from the room.

As soon as the door closed, no one spoke for what felt like several lifetimes, the gentle bustle of hospital life continuing on around them outside the confines of the room. Kono and Chin shared a look of uncertainty, the cousins communicating seemingly without words as Steve once more tried to find a comfortable position that didn't pull on his aching ribs. The SEAL had little success and it wasn't much longer before Steve broke the awkward silence.

"Look, the games need to stop. Someone needs to tell me what's going on;  _now_." Even with the rasp to his voice, the demand was clear.

* * *

Kono looked over at her cousin and waited for his permission. When all she received was a reluctant shrug, the rookie took that as her cue and turned her attention towards the man in the hospital bed. "Boss, do you remember anything that happened before you woke up here?"

Steve swallowed slowly, his throat once more as dry as the Sahara. Instead of answering in the negative, growing annoyed at the repetitive questioning, the head of Five O tried again to make sense of the huge, gaping hole in his memory. "I… I don't…" Screwing his face up in determination, Steve pushed past the aches and pains of his body, the throbbing of his head, and forced his mind to recall something; anything… "I was meeting someone…at-at the  _mall_?" His confusion was apparent and Kono allowed herself a small smile at the reaction. Steve hated the mall with a passion so his reaction was to be expected.

"Can you remember who you were meeting?" Kono pressed further, pleased that he could remember at least that much. "Why you were at the mall?"

Steve sighed, the hand with the IV once more coming up to rub at his aching skull. "I don't…I can't remember, Kono. It's all just one big blank. Was I meeting a suspect? I don't know why else I would be at the mall, of all places…" The last part was muttered under his breath and even Chin couldn't fight the smile that erupted, but it quickly fell at Steve's next words. "I don't understand why I can't remember. It shouldn't be this hard…"

"You took a pretty nasty beating, Boss," Kono attempted to make him feel better, but even before the words had left her mouth she knew they wouldn't have the desired effect.

Chin sat forward, pulling the SEAL's attention back towards him. "The paramedics, when they found you, said they believed you'd been drugged. They sent a sample of your blood to the lab and the test results proved their theory, brah. Your blood came back with positive indications of GHB." The detective let his revelation sink in for a few moments before he continued. "I spoke to your doctor. She says that common side effects can include nausea, dizziness…and memory loss."

Kono's eyes widened as she absorbed the new information, unable to hide her distress at the unfortunate news. Chin offered a reassuring pat to her knee as he kept his attention on the Navy SEAL, who, despite his best efforts at keeping up with the conversation, seemed more confused than concerned.

"I was drugged?"

"You were drugged," Chin confirmed, unhappily.

"We found it on camera; on the mall's CCTV footage. They must have followed the pair of you... They dosed your bottle of water whilst you were-" Kono realised her mistake and cut herself off but the damage was done.

"Whilst I was, what?" Steve's voice had taken on a darker edge and Kono had to swallow quickly as her mouth went dry. "Who was I at the mall with, Kono?"

"Steve-" Chin tried to bring the brunt of the SEAL's attention back on himself but Steve knew Kono was the weaker link.

"Kono, who was I at the mall with?"

The young officer looked between her cousin and her boss, mouth opening and closing almost comically with no words escaping. She'd seriously put her foot in the middle of things this time.

"Kono, where's Danny?"

The sudden change in topic had the rookie stuttering as she tried to keep track of her words and the fact that they were trying their hardest to reveal things to the Navy SEAL as gently as possible. "He's d-downstairs, on the phone to…to Rachel…"

"Steve!" Chin raised his voice in an effort to snap his friend out of whatever trance he'd fallen into, the ECG machine proudly displaying the man's increasing anxiety.

"To Rachel…?" Steve faltered as he dissected the new information, his face losing colour as his brain raced through and tried to connect the pieces of the puzzle in some semblance of order. His breathing was becoming increasingly laboured and the thin hospital scrubs were clinging to him as he broke out into an uncomfortable sweat.

"Kono, let me handle this. Go and find Doctor Kekoa," Chin snapped, dragging his chair closer to the bed so he could keep Steve's focus trained on him. Kono jumped to her feet and hurried from the room without a word, tears beginning to leak from the corners of her eyes.

Chin could feel the panic radiating from Steve as he put two and two together and came up with, who knew? Ten? One-hundred? Four…? "Steve, look at me, brah. You need to calm down, okay?"

"You need to be straight with me, Chin." Steve swallowed with some difficulty and met the Hawaiian's eyes, an almost desperate gleam to his own. "Tell me. Just…tell me. What's with all the secret looks? Who was I at the mall with?" The anxiety in his voice tugged viciously at the detective's heartstrings.

Chin closed his eyes and huffed out a shaky breath. Steve knew; deep down he knew. Maybe he didn't know the exact details, but his line of questioning as he'd interrogated Kono could only mean one thing. Setting his resolve, he forced himself to meet McGarrett's gaze as he gave the answer to the desperate question. "Grace. Steve, you were at the mall with Grace."

* * *

Steve sucked in a harsh breath at the revelation, the name hitting him like a punch to the gut as his chest constricted and he forgot how to breathe.

"You were followed by a group of men. One distracted you while another spiked your drink," Chin hurried to explain, watching as his friend paled even further. "You started to feel the effects soon after and made the decision – the  _right_  decision – to get Grace to safety. You locked her in your truck and then you tried to get the men to follow you, but-"

Steve blindly reached out and grasped the Hawaiian's arm in a death grip. "Where is she now, Chin? Gracie…where is she?"

Chin, uncharacteristically, cursed under his breath. "Look, Steve…"

" _Where is she_?" The words were choked out through clenched teeth.

"We…we don't know." Chin was through with dodging the truth; with trying to pull the wool over Steve's eyes. "The men took her while you were unconscious. We have no clue where she is, or even who has her. We were hoping you could shed some light, but that was before we knew about the GHB..."

Steve released his grip on Chin's arm and seemed to shrink in upon himself as he closed his eyes and took several deep breaths.

The door to his room flew open as his nurse returned in a hurry, a stern look on her face as she took in the sight of her distressed patient. "Sir, I'm going to have to ask you to leave. Commander McGarrett needs his rest," she declared with a tight smile.

It was Steve that responded, his voice flat and emotionless. "Can you give us a few minutes first? We need to finish our conversation."

"Commander…"

"Please? Just two more minutes and then he'll leave."

With a heavy sigh the young woman turned on her heel and left the way she came, clearly unhappy with being ordered around by her patient.

Waiting until the door had closed, Steve turned his attention back to Chin. "Kono said there was footage. CCTV from the mall…?"

"Yes-"

"I need you to get it for me."

"Steve, you need to be resting-" Chin protested but gave up when he saw the look of determination on his friend's face.

"Chin…"

"Okay, brah. I'll get it."

"Now."

Chin sighed as he turned to leave, sensing the conversation was over. "Look, no one is blaming you, Steve. No one. This isn't your fault."

There was no answer as he quietly left the room.

 


	8. Chapter 8

Steve kept his eyes glued to the ceiling, fighting to keep his breathing under control as Chin quietly left the room, head hung low in dejection. Even after the door clicked shut he couldn't bring himself to move; his mind and body frozen in a punishing loop of self-recrimination.

_**Grace was missing... Grace was gone... This was his fault... He'd failed to protect her... How could he have let this happen...? Danny would never forgive him... Grace was missing...** _

A part of him felt like a total heel for reacting the way he had; for taking his frustrations out on his colleagues, his friends, who were clearly trying their hardest to help. They held no blame in this. _No, clearly that was all on him._  But as his thoughts returned to Grace: alone, terrified – maybe even  _hurt_? - and desperate to get back to the safety of her parents – all too suddenly Steve couldn't catch his breath through the overwhelming sense of failure.

_Failure_.

That one single word terrified him more than death ever could, and it was becoming far too common a theme for the SEAL's liking.

Failure haunted his dreams each and every night; nightmares that left him drenched in sweat and screaming for forgiveness as he darted awake. It clawed painfully at the pit of his stomach, threatening to dig its way out through tender flesh until it was visible as a fresh tattoo on his fragile skin; a permanent reminder of his shortcomings as a leader, a partner, a friend.

Failure had never been a viable option, no matter the circumstances; Steve knew this. It was as ingrained into his psyche as breathing. It was instinct.

And yet, despite all of this, he'd failed.

The heart-breaking realisation was accompanied by a fresh wave of exhaustion, one that left him both nauseous and weak as he sank deeper into his hospital bed, limbs trembling without his consent as he ignored the fresh surge of discomfort his movements caused.

His ability to keep Grace safe should never have been an uncertainty. It should have been fact; something etched permanently in stone. But there it was, a cold-hearted truth: Steve had lost Grace.

An irrational stab of anger left the SEAL momentarily breathless.

There was a gentle knock at his door before it was pushed open, the pretty nurse he'd all but chased out earlier poking her head into the room with an unhappy smile. "Commander McGarrett. Your friend wanted me to give you this." She gestured half-heartedly at the electronic tablet clasped tightly in her hand as she stepped further into the room.

It took Steve a few seconds to clamp down on his emotions enough to formulate a response that didn't involve an inarticulate growl; the anger, fear and frustration settling heavily in his chest. Still, he had to gently clear his throat in order to be heard. "Thank you."

Soft footsteps accompanied her cautious approach and Steve tried to smile but couldn't find the energy required to reassure her. He held a trembling hand out for the tablet and she huffed out a disgruntled sigh before handing it over.

"Doctor Kekoa will be along in a few minutes. She's finishing up with another patient. Your two friends are down the hall, but they won't be allowed back in until you've seen the doctor." There was a pause as she adjusted the sticky tape of his IV, ensuring it was still securely attached as Steve powered up the hand-held computer. "You need to be resting, Commander. You've had a traumatic day, okay?"

McGarrett swallowed thickly, meeting the nurse's grey eyes without comment. Knowing her words were futile, she patted him gently on the shoulder and once more left the room, the soft click of the door signalling her exit.

Steve's eyes fell back to the screen in front of him, cursing silently at the intense starburst of pain the bright display caused in his skull. Blinking repeatedly, his uncoordinated fingers fumbled to turn down the brightness before his brain imploded.

Eventually highlighting the CCTV footage, Steve had to take a deep breath before he could force his finger to double-tap the play button, his heart firmly lodged in the back of his throat.

* * *

Kono kept up her frenetic pacing of the hallway alongside McGarrett's private room, gently chastising her rookie mistake in revealing more than she'd intended to her injured boss. She'd made the entire situation a thousand times worse, that much was obvious, and now Steve was heartbroken. No other word seemed strong enough to cover his response. The look of total devastation on his bruised face had cut her to the core.

"I'm such an idiot…" Fresh tears stung at her eyes as she slumped dejectedly in a chair, burying her face in her hands.

"Hey, there's no need for any of that."

Chin's unexpectedly soft voice caused Kono to startle, fruitlessly wiping at her tear-stained face as she met her cousin's worried gaze. "I've made things so much worse than they needed to be, brah. I should have kept my mouth shut…"

Chin crouched down to Kono's level, using one hand to wipe away the fresh tears that fell. "Listen to me, okay? Steve was going to find out about Grace one way or another. No matter which way he discovered it, his reaction would have been the same. We both know that."

Kono sniffed, leaning into Chin's hand for comfort. "I know. I guess you're right…"

"Hey, I'm your cousin. That means I'm always right." Chin smiled fondly, ruffling her hair as he rose to his feet. "It's the unwritten rule of being older and wiser; a burden I'm ready and willing to carry for as long as you need me to, okay?"

Kono laughed, straightening out her hair as she rose to her feet and enveloped the older Hawaiian in a fierce hug. "Okay. Thanks, 'Cuz." They were silent for a time, simply enjoying the comfort and taking in the chatter and bustle of the busy hospital.

"Today's had disaster written all over it from the very beginning, hasn't it?" Kono's sigh interrupted Chin's wandering thoughts, her voice reminding him of just how young she still was and the fierce need to protect her with his own life rose up unbidden. He made no move to force the feeling down, instead stifling his own heavy sigh that fought to escape as he held his cousin tight, his chin resting gently atop her head.

Chin's thoughts swiftly turned to Danny, the father distraught and desperate to get his daughter back; to Steve, the SEAL beaten and bloody in a hospital bed; and finally to Grace, the child terrified and alone and desperate for the safety of her parents' arms. "I have a feeling things are only going to get worse before they get better, Kono."  _Much worse_ , he added silently, not wanting to upset the younger officer any more than she already was. "But we'll be there for them every step of the way. That's a promise."

"Excuse me, Chin Ho Kelly?"

Chin gave Kono another tight squeeze before he released his cousin and they both turned to face a ruffled looking Doctor Kekoa, clipboard clutched tightly to her chest.

"Doctor Kekoa - Kala - is everything alright?"

Chin's concerned tone caught Kono's attention and she offered a warm smile to Steve's doctor, only for it to fall flat as the middle-aged woman's frown deepened, an almost apologetic look on her pale face.

"I stopped by to see McGarrett…"

"Look, I'm sorry if he gave you a hard time," Chin began, shifting uncomfortably as he felt the need to explain Steve's sour mood.

"He's not normally like that," Kono added quickly, looking to her cousin for his agreement. "He's blaming himself for everything that's happened today."

Doctor Kekoa sighed. "No, you misunderstand me." There was a pause as she looked for the right words to convey her problem. "I stopped by his room and it was empty. His IV had been pulled out and all the machinery he was connected to was switched off. Look, I don't know how to tell you this, but McGarrett's gone."

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thoughts? :)


	9. Chapter Nine

_Saving Grace: Chapter Nine_

Steve grit his teeth as he slumped against the wall, allowing himself a moment to catch his breath as he slipped his bandaged arm into the 'borrowed' purple sweater, the front zip covering all signs of the hospital scrubs underneath. The nurse he'd all but chased from his room twice now had been kind enough to return the clothes he'd been admitted with whilst he'd been unconscious, which fortunately meant he didn't have to attempt this escape whilst flashing his rear to the entire hospital. Not that it would have stopped him if he'd been unable to find his own clothes... He'd have to remember to thank her – and to apologise for being such an ass – if he ever managed to see her again.

Whilst his own shirt was damaged beyond wear, his cargo pants and boots were passable so long as no one looked too closely at the scuffs, bloodstains and torn material. Steve wasn't worried. He didn't plan on hanging around long enough for anyone to get a close look.

Sneaking out of his room, past Kono and Chin, had been the easy part, even though Steve felt a strong pang of regret at the way he'd left things with his friends. They'd been comforting each other in the hallway when he'd seized the opportunity to leave, their backs towards him.

Pushing off against the wall, the aches and pains of his body returned in full force, reminding him that there was very good reasoning behind him being on bed rest and that he wasn't supposed to be sneaking through the busy hospital hallways with a concussion and busted ribs. Viewing the CCTV footage, however, had unlocked a sense of urgency alongside a scarce few flashbacks of his time at the mall. _Glass smashing, terrified screams...Grace!_

With the random flashes of memory came a harsh realisation: the men that had taken Grace were dangerous and they meant business.

Thankfully, so did he.

It was his fault Grace was missing and now it was down to him to get her back. It was the only way Danny, who had yet to show his face, was ever going to forgive him; the only way McGarrett would be able to look his partner - his team - in the face and not feel like a complete failure.

First things first, he needed to return to the mall; take a fresh look at the car park where the kidnapping took place. From there he hoped to remember more details of the kidnapping. Whilst the CCTV footage had drawn a basic picture of what went down at the mall, there was something...a feeling; an instinct, that urged at him to get out of the hospital; to return to the scene of the crime. He needed all the information he could get if he planned on finding Grace, and what better place than the Ala Moana mall where it had all started?

With his decision made, the Navy SEAL used the haunting flashes of Grace; her shrill screams; her look of utmost terror, to fuel each painful step, the leftover drugs in his system combined with the concussion making his path a difficult one. Wiping at the sweat that dripped down the back of his neck, Steve pulled the hood of his sweater up to better conceal his face as he attempted to read the blurred sign above him, wincing as he touched the bandage above his eyebrow.

He needed to find the exit; to get out. The sooner he was away from the hospital, the better. The thought sat like a heavy burden on his chest. Part of him knew he was being irrational; knew that he should leave the heroics to those not struggling to stand steady on two feet, but he couldn't stop his body from reacting to the perceived threat.

Glancing over his shoulder, Steve caught the eyes of a uniformed maintenance man and quickly looked away, hunching his shoulders as he stuffed both hands into his pockets. The light cast on his wrist made the movement awkward but he ignored the dull ache and pushed his way onward.

* * *

Danny glared at his cell phone, as if directing his angry thoughts at the device would force it to solve all of his problems. It hadn't worked with any of his previous few attempts but the blond detective couldn't quite bring himself to look away.

Rachel's worried voice played over and over, her voicemail stuck on a loop as he pressed the replay button again and again and again.

_"Danny? It's Rachel. I got your message... Is everything okay? Are you okay? Oh, God, is Grace okay? You're scaring me, Danny. Please...just return my call, will you? I'll be here waiting. Call me, Daniel."_

This time, as the message finished, Danny didn't allow his finger to hover over the replay button, instead taking a deep breath in preparation for the terrifying conversation he knew was coming as he hit the call button.

Time seemed to stand still as he waited for the line to connect, his throat suddenly tight with anticipation. Thankfully, he didn't have to wait long.

"Daniel? Thank God, is that you?" The sound of his ex-wife's voice was both a blessing and a curse.

Danny had to clear his throat before he could answer, screwing his eyes shut as a wave of fatigue came over him. "Yeah, Rach. It's me..." He slouched heavily against the brick wall and ran a hand through his messy hair.

"I've been worrying myself sick, Danny. Your cryptic message had me in hysterics! What's happened? Is everything okay?"

The detective knew that if he didn't interrupt now, he'd never get a word in. When she was upset, the woman was almost impossible to talk to in a calm, rational manner. "Rachel, I need you to stop for a minute so you can listen to me, okay? Where are you?" He kept his voice calm and even despite his own fears and the desperation that threatened to overwhelm him at any moment.

There was an instant of silence as his words seemed to sink in. "Stan's in a business meeting so I'm waiting for him in our hotel room... Danny, you're scaring me. What's wrong?" Her voice was growing more hysterical with every passing second.

"I... Rachel, I need you to sit down for me, will you? Stay calm and let me finish what I need to say before you overreact and misunderstand what I'm telling you. Can you do that?"

" _Danny_!"

"Rachel, _please..."_

The desperation in his voice seemed to cut through her blind panic as she quietened down. "Okay... Okay, I'm sitting. Now tell me, what's wrong?"

Danny glanced over his shoulder as the back doors to the hospital were thrown wide, a man in a purple hooded top stumbling his way into the open. Something about the slouching figure in grubby cargo pants screamed at the detective to pay attention, but his thoughts were currently preoccupied with his own problems. "This is extremely hard for me to say, Rachel, so I'm just going to say it. Something happened at the-"

There was a clatter as something skidded across the floor, the hooded man all but tripping over his own feet as he came to a stop a few steps away from the building. "Damn it..."

It was the familiar sounding curse that broke the Jersey native from his distracted daze. Temporarily forgetting his phone call, Danny shielded the sun from his eyes and took a proper look at the figure in front of him.

"What the Hell... _Steven_?"

* * *

McGarrett felt his skin crawling, the sensation of being watched becoming more apparent with each step. He fought the urge to check over his shoulder, knowing he was risking discovery the longer he spent wandering the halls looking suspicious. Chin and Kono would realise he was missing at some point very soon and then his chances of evading them would drop dramatically. He needed to find the exit, and fast. Grace was counting on him.

Turning a corner, relieved to find the way out finally in his sight, Steve used the opportunity to inconspicuously glance behind him.

The same maintenance man he'd spotted earlier was still in view, now with his cell phone to his ear as he cast quite obvious looks in the SEAL's direction. Steve's racing mind couldn't help but put two and two together, linking the man to the prior incident in his room. _Was he the one that had been taking photographs of him whilst barely conscious in his hospital bed?_ The thought sent a shiver down his spine, raising a number of new questions. Suddenly the desperate urge to leave didn't seem like such a crazy one.

Pushing through the doors to the exit, the sudden influx of sunlight sent daggers straight to Steve's brain and caused him to stumble. Slouching further into the hood of his stolen sweatshirt, McGarrett's foot caught on a discarded soda can that he sent skittering across the tarmac as he tried to clear his vision, the unexpectedly loud sound causing him to freeze. "Damn it…" _Real graceful there, McGarrett._

Aware that he was quickly running out of time, Steve assessed his immediate surroundings through heavily lidded eyes, the bright sunshine a source of great discomfort. Apart from a few parked cars, the area ahead seemed clear enough for him to make his exit so Steve moved off again, conscious of the fact that he had an unknown at his six who was likely to have played some part in Grace's kidnapping.

Thoughts lingering heavily on his next move, the unexpected sound of his partner's voice hit him like a physical blow from out of nowhere.

"What the Hell… _Steven_?"

Every instinct screamed at the SEAL to acknowledge Danny, whom he belatedly realised was standing a few feet away - had been, in fact, since he'd exited the hospital. On any other day, Steve would have followed that instinct without fail. Today, however, with the GHB still idling in his system and a concussion that caused his head to pound in time with his racing heartbeat, Steve made the rash decision to keep moving.

"Hey, McGarrett! They let you out already? Wait, where do you think you're going?"

The sound of the double doors crashing open behind him set Steve's adrenaline coursing, encouraging an extra burst of speed as he attempted to put as much distance between himself, Danny and his stalker as possible. The last thing he needed was Danny caught in the middle of all this...whatever this was. Did they plan on taking him out of the equation? If so, why wait until now? They'd missed the perfect opportunity to eliminate him permanently at the mall, and yet again whilst he was out of commision in the hospital. It didn't make sense...

The screech of tyres and the stench of burning rubber had Danny dropping his cell to the concrete, his call to Rachel forgotten as he reacted to the scene before him. A large white van screamed to a stop in front of the rabbiting SEAL at the same time that the blond detective caught sight of the maintenance man exiting the building, gun drawn and aimed squarely at his partner.

With a heartfelt curse, Danny drew his own weapon and aimed it at the phony hospital worker, torn between keeping an eye on Steve and protecting any innocent passers-by from stray bullets. "Hey, drop your weapon, buddy. That's an order!"

At the sound of Danny's yell, Steve took his eyes off the van in front of him, slowing his pace as his concern for his friend easily overrode any thoughts for his own well-being. It was at that point that the van's side door flew open, three masked men jumping out to surround him.

Two sets of beefy arms grabbed for the SEAL as the third man casually pulled out a concealed weapon, taking aim and firing twice.

The first bullet was a flesh wound; the second a head-shot.

Steve caught Danny's pained gaze; spied the fresh blood covering his partner's pale form as he hit the floor. "-Danny, _no_!" He made to move towards him, only for the two thugs at his side to roughly drag him back.

Any further thoughts dissipated as a filthy rag was clamped tight over his nose and mouth, the sweet-smelling aroma of chloroform invading his senses and causing his legs to fall out from under him before he could react. The bruising grip on his arms was the only thing that kept the SEAL from kissing the pavement as his vision faded to black.


	10. Chapter 10

Accepting Doctor Kekoa's words for what they were, Chin Ho wasted little time in deciding their next move.

"Kono, find Security. Get them to check the CCTV outside and around Steve's room; let's see if we can find when exactly he left and where he might be headed. I'll check his room. We need to make sure there are no signs of coercion." Whilst McGarrett disappearing wasn't completely out of the blue, they needed to at least ascertain that he'd left of his own accord.

"Sure thing, brah." Kono turned to leave when Kala interrupted, confusion clear on her face.

"Wait. Commander McGarrett has a habit of disappearing from medical care, I take it? Neither of you seem particularly surprised."

Kono barely held back on her amused snort. "Oh, we just count ourselves lucky that he stayed as long as he did." With Grace in trouble and Steve holding himself accountable they should have anticipated this reaction from the very start.

Chin offered a polite shrug in answer to the doctor's incredulous stare.

"When you find the Commander, be sure to tell him I expect him back here within twenty-four hours. He's not fit to be out playing Navy SEAL right now," came the stern response.

"Believe me, he doesn't play Navy SEAL... But we'll pass the message along. Thank you for your time, Doctor Kekoa." Chin shook Kala's hand before following Kono down the hallway, leaving the doctor to resume her rounds.

"Do you think watching the CCTV from the mall helped Steve remember something?" Kono mused after a moment's silence, eyes scanning the walls and taking note of the locations of each of the security cameras.

"I don't know. With Steve anything is possible," Chin admitted, stopping outside the door to McGarrett's room. "Maybe it simply gave him enough information that he felt he could do some good out there, trying to find Grace, instead of stuck in a hospital bed. We both know how much he-"

A shrill scream from nearby drowned out the rest of his sentence.

Chin's hand automatically went for the gun at his hip, Kono an instant behind him as the sound echoed through the corridor, more voices joining the fray. Without the need for vocal confirmation the pair set off down the hallway, Chin taking point.

The screaming was soon replaced by distressed sobbing and raised voices, the ruckus growing louder the closer they moved towards the rear of the hospital. As they went, Kono motioned the scared and confused civilians out of the way, nodding her head in acknowledgement as two security guards tagged on behind them at the flash of Chin's badge, the men more than happy for Five-O to lead the way.

As Kelly rounded a corner, the hushed whispers from the gathering crowd warned him of what to expect. "Everyone, I need you to take a step back," he ordered, lowering his gun so it was pointing at the floor. Kono joined him, raising a surprised eyebrow at the dead body sprawled in a heap, half in and half out of the hospital doors. A single bullet wound to the head pointed to an obvious cause of death.

"Keep the crowd back," Chin called over his shoulder to the security guards, allowing Kono to take point as she stepped carefully over the body and headed out into the yard. "Call HPD and get them to send over a team. We'll need to start taking witness statements before they arrive; collect information while it's still fresh in their minds."

"Yes, sir."

Chin turned to follow Kono outside when he caught the sound of her distressed cry. Launching himself over the body and through the doors, the Detective found his cousin kneeling on the ground beside an injured and unconscious Danny.

"Chin, he's been shot!" The fear in her voice made his heart skip a beat.

Dropping to his knees, Chin quickly and efficiently checked for a pulse; the relief at finding it strong and steady more than enough to warrant a huge sigh. "He'll be okay, Kono. Go find a doctor. I'll try to stop the bleeding."

"I'm on it." The lithe officer was up and moving in an instant, leaving Chin alone to work on the prone detective.

A quick once over revealed no other obvious signs of injury so, after checking Danny's airway, he gently shifted him into the recovery position, turning his attention to his friend's shoulder.

There didn't appear to be an exit point for the bullet, which Chin knew could be a bad thing. When a gun shot wasn't a through-and-through there was a much greater risk of it bouncing around and causing damage to other organs... Chin prayed to all known deities that that wasn't the case here.

Deciding it was ruined already, Chin tore the bottom half of Danny's shirt into strips and used them to apply pressure to the steadily bleeding wound, his gentle ministrations enough to cause his patient to stir. Danny grunted as if being disturbed from a peaceful nap, his eyelids fluttering as he started to regain consciousness. Chin ducked his head closer and studied the man's pale face. "Hey, brah, can you hear me?"

His response was a loud groan as Danny finally opened his eyes, blinking owlishly up at him from his position on the hard ground. "Wha-? Wh't hap..n'd?"

"I was hoping you could tell me, Detective," Chin responded with a wry grin. He added a new strip of Danny's shirt to the already soaked wad under his palm and increased the pressure to the wound, earning a strangled yelp of pain.

"Ow!"

"Sorry, brah. Try not to move too much, okay? The doc will be here any moment but I need to stop the bleeding. Do you remember where you are?"

Danny screwed his eyes shut as he gave the question some serious thought, Chin's concern spiking as he watched the remaining colour drain from his friend's face.

"Oh, God, Chin...Steve!" The blond attempted to sit up despite Chin's best efforts to keep him still. "They took him. The van! There was a - where's my phone? We need to - oh, shit..."

Kono reappeared with Doctor Kekoa at her side as Danny collapsed back to the floor, his breathing erratic as a wave of dizziness struck him hard. Kala took over, gently moving Chin out of the way as a male nurse joined her to offer assistance.

"My name is Kala, Detective Williams. Other than the wound to your shoulder, can you tell me if you're hurt anywhere else?"

Danny swallowed hard, working to get his breathing under control. "No, no, I'm fine. Just my pride." Ignoring the unconvinced frown the Jersey native shifted slightly so he could see Chin and Kono, his voice tight with barely restrained panic. "There was a white van. I didn't see the plates, but there were three men in masks."

"Are they the reason for the dead maintenance man, or was that you?" Kono queried, biting her lip in sympathy as Doctor Kekoa removed the dressing from Danny's shoulder to take a closer look.

"That wasn't me, although it very nearly was. The guy was following Steve out of the hospital and he had a gun-"

"Wait, Steve was here?" Chin interrupted quickly.

"That's what I've been trying to say. The men in the van... They took out the phony maintenance guy and then they shot me for the Hell of it before grabbing Steve and taking off."

TBC


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, in this chapter we finally see Grace for a little bit. If child endangerment, kidnapping, and distressing situations etc, are a trigger then I'm pre-warning you. If anyone wants more details before they read any further, feel free to PM me and I'll give you the run-down. Be safe and aware of your own limits, 'kay?

As the speeding van hit a large pothole, reverberations through the metal floor were almost enough to provoke a groan of complaint from the Navy SEAL struggling to hold onto consciousness. McGarrett found himself face down on the grimy carpeting, arms secured none-too-gently behind his back as the sturdy metal cuffs bit into fragile skin and put increasing pressure on his ribs and injured wrist.

The back of the van was empty, save for himself, and blanketed by darkness; the only window, and therefore the only light, coming from the direction of the windscreen up front. Despite the uncomfortable position Steve forced his body to remain still, unwilling to offer any sign to his kidnappers that their trick with the chloroform hadn't gone exactly as planned. His bruised ribs had prevented him from inhaling enough of the toxic fumes to render him completely unconscious, the dose enough to knock him off his feet instead as it sent his world into a hazy spin (aided, of course, by his pre-existing concussion), and whilst the urge to make sure Danny was okay had resounded through him with each beat of his racing heart, Steve knew that he had a much greater chance of finding Grace's whereabouts if he allowed himself to be taken. As a plan, Steve could see that it wasn't one of his finest.

Danny was going to kill him.

Pushing thoughts of the bloodied detective away to dwell on later, Steve gently tested the give of the metal cuffs around his wrists, unfortunately discovering little that he could work with in his current position. Instead he returned his concentration to the thrum of the van beneath him as it screeched through the busy streets of Honolulu. He needed to keep track of each twist and turn, note how long they travelled for in any particular direction if he had any hope of finding out where they were keeping Grace.

Except the van chose that moment to clip the sidewalk after a hasty left turn, the SEAL's forehead bouncing off the floor with a solid thud.

Consciousness returned as the van skidded to a stop, tyres sliding over loosened gravel. Steve remained still and swallowed heavily, the latest knock to the skull sending blinding flashes of pain through his head with each inhale, every exhale. The realisation that his plan had failed before he'd even had the chance to put it into play sent a wave of irritation through the restrained SEAL. Things were going from bad to worse with each passing minute but he couldn't afford to let his emotions get the better of him. Not now. He was doing this for Grace.

The sound of his kidnappers shifting around up front and the screech of an opening door sent a shiver down McGarrett's spine as the van continued to idle. Testing the give of his cuffs for a final time – nothing – Steve sucked in a shallow breath and forced his body to relax. He needed the men to believe he was still unconscious, although with the concussion and lingering effects of the chloroform it wasn't too difficult a ploy to pull off.

The heavy crunch of footsteps on gravel set McGarrett's pulse racing. He could make out two different sets as they headed for the rear of the van, although the SEAL knew there were at least three people involved in his kidnapping – possibly even four if the guy that shot Danny hadn't been the driver. His chances at pulling off his subterfuge were looking smaller and smaller…

The rear door opened with a thunderous crash against the side of the van and Steve had to bite back a groan at the deafening echo within the enclosed space, remaining motionless by sheer stubbornness alone. A bony hand gripped one of his ankles and before he could think to brace himself, he was dragged unceremoniously across the carpeted floor towards the opening.

"Help me with him, will ya?" a heavily accented voice ordered as the second set of footsteps drew near. The van shifted beneath the extra weight as one of the two men climbed in beside McGarrett and nudged him gently with a booted foot. The instinct to lash out was a fierce one but Steve remained still, knowing he'd be better off outside of the van before he made his move.

"He's out for the count, man. He won't be no trouble."

There was a snort of disbelief. "Are you kidding me? This one's been trouble since the start, Ramirez. Shoulda taken him with the girl, then we'd a'never had all this hassle, brah."

"Yeah, yeah… The Boss man should just make up his mind, eh?"

"Shut it an' help me get him out."

Gritting his teeth against the renewed discomfort at being pulled around, Steve waited for an opening. Luckily he didn't have to wait long before the opportunity arose, the handcuffs unlocked from one wrist as he was rolled onto his back.

Cracking one eye open to confirm positions, Steve kicked out without warning, one leg hitting the unsuspecting man outside of the van in his solar plexus, his stunned cry choking off as he dropped to the floor and writhed in agony. Ramirez cursed and threw himself at McGarrett, dropping his full weight on top of the prone SEAL as he fought to re-lock the cuff around his wrist. Steve used his free hand to grab a fistful of his attacker's shirt and pulled him closer, entwining his legs around the man's lower half as he wrapped his other arm around the back of Ramirez's neck and rolled, reversing their positions.

Ramirez fought with everything he had but still he was no match for the trained Navy SEAL. Steve used his elbow to knock the man into unconsciousness, stealing a moment to catch his breath before sliding the rest of the way out of the van.

As his feet touched the ground Steve felt his knees go weak, the short fight having used what little remaining strength he'd had left. The setting sun was still high enough in the sky to bring tears to his eyes, his vision blurring as he crumpled to the ground in a heap, panting through the pain of his reawakened injuries. Steve knew he had to move if he had any hope of putting some distance between himself and his attackers but he couldn't find the energy to do more than breathe for the moment, cradling his throbbing wrist close to his ribs.

Blinking rapidly to clear his vision, McGarrett surveyed his immediate surroundings, thankful that his luck had held out and that the van's running engine had disguised the sounds of his scuffle with the two fallen men. He knew his luck couldn't last forever. He just needed to find a familiar landmark or road marker to ascertain where he'd been taken and then he needed to find Grace so they could get the hell away from this place.

"Hey, you!"

Damn it.

Scrambling to his feet, Steve forced his body into a slow amble but barely made it a few steps before his pursuer caught up. The soft ping of a silenced bullet ricocheting off the gravel at his feet stripped him of any urge to continue fleeing.

"Okay!" Throwing his hands in the air as a sign of submission, Steve froze as he felt the press of a gun at the back of his skull. "Okay, you win," he placated gently. "I won't run."

"Damn right, you won't," came the hissed response, the gun's warm muzzle digging into the skin at the nape of his neck. "We only need you here to keep the brat quiet. No one specified you had to be alive for that to happen."

Steve tensed at the mention of Grace, fists clenching in an attempt at stalling his anger. The guy was bluffing; that much was obvious, but Steve allowed the man to think his words were having the desired effect anyway.

"Get down on your knees and put your hands behind your back."

With no option but to comply, the head of Five-O dropped to his knees and reluctantly allowed his hands to be cuffed securely behind him. The blow to the back of the head that followed wasn't unexpected, yet Steve still couldn't prevent the darkness that followed.

* * *

 

Grace Williams lifted a hand to wipe at the tears running down her dirty cheeks, sniffling softly as she fought to make as little noise as possible. She was scared and alone, but had no idea if she was being watched and that thought terrified her into keeping silent.

The unfamiliar room that had quickly become her prison cell was large, but empty of anything important - not that she'd seized much of the opportunity to investigate. She hadn't dared to move since she'd been locked in hours ago, the fear making her chest tight and her breath escape in short gasps. She missed her mom and her Danno and she wanted to go home.

A radiator hugged one brick wall, old and rusty looking with flakes of once-white paint peeling onto the cold, hard floor. A set of wooden chairs lay on their side in the middle of the room, as if they'd been knocked over in a hurry and then left there, and an overturned table occupied the far wall. Apart from the locked door and a small window that was way too high for her to be able to reach, nothing else stood out. Nothing that could possibly help her, or even tell her why she was here.

The men responsible for kidnapping Grace had said very little once she'd stopped screaming as they'd dragged her from the back of a van. She had the bruises around her wrists to show how hard she'd struggled to get away, but it had been to no avail. One of the men, the tall one with the dark, nasty eyes, had smiled at her as she'd struggled, kicking and screaming, an odd look on his scarred face. He'd reached out to pet her head, smoothing her hair down flat as he'd moved closer to whisper in her ear that she needed to be quiet now. Her skin still crawled at the sensation of his warm breath on her face, the supposedly soothing words making her heart race all the more with fear.

Grace hadn't liked him at all, but she hadn't made another sound since.

Curled in on herself in the farthest corner from the door, Grace had helped to pass the time by wondering if she was ever going to see her family again, or if these men planned on keeping her here forever. Her mom and Stan would be sad if she never came home, that she knew. And Danno would spend the rest of forever hunting down the horrible men that had hurt her Uncle Steve and had taken her away from him...

Thoughts of her favourite Navy SEAL brought on a fresh wave of tears. Grace hugged her legs tighter to her chest and squeezed her eyes shut as memories of the last time she'd seen her uncle played themselves over and over in her head. She had no idea if he was okay, if they'd even left him alive. Grace remembered the way the men had been hurting him and how he hadn't even bothered defending himself after a while; just tried desperately to get to her side, to help her...

Her loud sobs echoed strangely in the room, but suddenly Grace didn't care who heard. She wanted someone to find her so she could go home, back to her mom and Stan and Danno and her Uncle Steve.

The unexpected sound of voices outside the door caused Grace to choke back her tears with a startled cry. Forcing her lithe frame as far into the corner as possible, seeking sanctuary from the return of her kidnappers, she covered her head with both arms and held her breath, waiting for the inevitable.


	12. Chapter 12

"You're not even listening to me. _Why won't anyone hear what I'm saying?_ "

Danny climbed unsteadily to his feet, pushing meddling hands away as they tried to prevent his escape. "Seriously, how hard can it be? Give me the damn scalpel and I'll dig the bullet out for myself!"

"Sir, you need to calm down and let us do our job-"

" _I don't have time_ , have you not been listening? I need to..." Danny paused, swallowing hard as the blood loss from his impromptu bullet wound caused his head - and the room around him - to spin. "...I need to, to get out of here. I need to find my little girl, and my partner, and ..."

The nurse attempting to placate the agitated detective so she could take his vitals shared a look of concern with her younger assistant, nodding quickly at the unspoken question of whether they should call for help.

It arrived moments later in the form of Doctor Kekoa and an anxious Kono, the women walking through the door just as Danny decided that he'd had enough.

"You can't keep me here if I don't want to stay," the short blond declared, yanking the blood pressure cuff off and once more trying to move around the nurse and her assistant.

"Detective Williams-"

" _Danny!_ "

Spinning to face the two new voices, Danny's already pale face turned grey as he discovered his mistake in moving so fast. "Oh..."

The quick actions of the nurse and her pretty assistant stopped the Jersey native before he hit the floor, but only just. Kono rushed forward to offer a hand as they hefted the barely conscious detective back up onto the bed whilst Doctor Kekoa grabbed her stethoscope and took charge of the situation.

"Detective Williams, can you hear me?"

* * *

As consciousness struggled to reassert itself, Steve became aware of two things. One was the sound of voices; familiar, heavily accented and obviously highly strung over _something_ ; the other was that he was being dragged, none too gently, down a narrow hallway of some kind, his feet scraping noisily along the bumpy ground.

Keeping his eyes closed tight and his body limp, the SEAL struggled to reassemble his confused memories, the task made worse by the fierce pounding in his head. The last thing he remembered clearly was the hospital; the unsettling feeling of being watched, and his escape attempt. But then there was Danny...

"I can't believe you nearly let the haole get away, brah."

Steve swallowed thickly and forced himself to concentrate. Clearly he'd taken a few too many knocks to the head.

"Shut it, would ya? The sonofabitch broke my damn nose. He's lucky I don't break his neck."

"Hah! It adds to your charm, bruddah."

Steve winced as his fight with Ramirez and his partner in the van came flooding back. One of his kidnappers gave a particularly spiteful jerk to both restrained arms, still cuffed unnecessarily tight at his back, and McGarrett couldn't hold in the resulting groan of pain. Both men carried on, seemingly oblivious, or simply ignorant, to his discomfort.

"Screw you, Keola. C'mon, lets dump this trash and get gone before the Boss man shows up. I don't wanna be the one explainin' why we're behind schedule. Do you?"

The silence that followed was answer enough.

The rest of their short lived journey continued in silence. Steve noticed with a flare of panic that he was beginning to zone out, the effort to feign unconsciousness whilst not tossing his cookies all over himself a more difficult task than he'd anticipated. It was a relief when a few moments later they came to a halt.

Keola readjusted his bruising grip as he rifled through his pocket in search of a key.

"C'mon, man. Speed it up!"

"Shut it, asshole. You're not the only one gettin' tired of dragging this haole carcass around."

"Here, gimme the key, brah."

The piercing screech of a heavyset door being dragged open forced the SEAL's nausea to a whole new level. Suddenly unable to clamp down on the rising bile, Steve gave into the urge and expelled the meagre contents of his stomach all over himself and the two men in close proximity. The extra pressure on his throbbing ribs was almost too much to bear.

" _Sonofabitch!_ "

"Oh, _hell no!_ I don't fuckin' believe it!"

Steve momentarily lost the ability to breathe as he was thrown haphazardly onto the cold, hard floor, his shoulder taking the brunt of the fall but his momentum pushing him onto his back, pinning his cuffed arms beneath the weight of his own body. The filthy cast supporting his injured wrist gave a resounding crack under the added pressure, but it was impossible to differentiate between the new pain this caused his wrist and the all encompassing agony that flooded his senses.

A boot to the ribs forced him back onto his front. Before McGarrett could react, or even attempt to clear the fog from his brain, a hand grabbed the hood of his purple top and dragged him mercilessly towards the edge of the room.

Coughing to clear the foul taste from his mouth and to suck down some desperately needed oxygen, Steve couldn't find it in himself to fight back any longer as his wrists were unshackled from each other. The arm with the mangled cast was yanked and twisted until it was in the correct position for being re-cuffed to a sturdy, but old, radiator attached to the brick wall.

With a final, spiteful kick to the ribs, Ramirez spat on the barely conscious SEAL and stormed from the room, muttering a mixture of curses and threats under his breath as he went.

The sound of the key turning in the lock echoed, taunting in its loudness, around the large room, but the silence that followed was refreshingly welcome.

Using the next few minutes to simply breathe, Steve called upon several meditation techniques in a bid to slow the manic beating of his heart. Whilst adrenaline typically did wonders for masking pain, it was creating a steel band of tightness across his chest that was making the natural action of taking a deep breath nearly impossible. Matching the racing of his heart was the frenetic pounding within his skull. Steve feared that if he didn't compose himself soon his head would explode.

Counting slowly, the SEAL forced his breathing to coincide.

One.

Two.

Three.

Four.

Five.

Six.

Seven.

Eight.

Nine

Ten.

Now that the pounding in his head had subsided a little, Steve realised that he could hear a soft snuffling from across the room. Freezing at the revelation that he wasn't alone, the head of Five-O pried open one weary eye and surveyed his new surroundings from his position face down on the floor.

Wooden chairs; an overturned table. But there, in the farthest corner of the unfamiliar room, curled into a tight ball as she tried to make herself as small as possible, was the most beautiful sight Steve could ever imagine.

" _Gracie..._ "

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, the wait is finally over... Thoughts?


	13. Chapter 13

Grace couldn't help but flinch as the heavy door was thrown shut, metal screeching out a deafening protest at the forced movement. Rubbing gently at her ringing ears, the eight year old took several deep breaths before unraveling slowly from her protective ball, the ache in her spine making itself known as she moved for what felt like the first time in hours.

She didn't move far. Whilst the upturned chairs blocked most of her view, Grace could tell that she was no longer alone in her makeshift prison, a pair of filthy cargo pants and sloppily laced boots taking up a slumped position in front of the rusted radiator. The thought of being shut in a room with a complete stranger was enough to send her heart thudding painfully against her ribs but she stubbornly ignored it, wiping away the tear tracks on her face with the sleeve of her purple shirt.

From the angry demeanour of Keola and Ramirez, two of her dreaded kidnappers, the young girl guessed that her visitor wasn't someone the men were overly happy with. Like when step-Stan's loud work friends turned up at the house and mommy had to let them in, despite the fact that it was Grace's bedtime; or when Stan had to take a call from work in the middle of their family day out... Wise beyond her eight short years, the miniature Williams came to the conclusion that someone her kidnappers didn't like was most likely someone she could turn to for help.

_But what if she was wrong?_

That thought alone kept her glued to the spot, trembling fingers pulling at a loose thread in the hem of her skirt. For now, the other person was staying where they'd been thrown, although the sounds of their laboured breathing sent a fresh tendril of fear through her. _What if they were too badly injured to help? Or, what if they weren't really there to help at all?_

Upset at the thought of being stuck in the cold, dusty room forever - and now with the added pressure of her unknown guest, Grace lost the battle to keep her tears in check, her sobs once more sounding loud in the large room.

" _Gracie..._ "

Grace clamped both hands over her mouth to stifle the yelp of surprise at the sound of her own name. Her first terrifying thought was that she might be hearing things, that in her desperate need to get home she was simply imagining the voice, but the painfully familiar sound of the Navy SEAL's words suddenly registered amidst her panic.

"...Uncle Steve?"

Not quite believing her own ears, Grace swallowed nervously, embarrassed at how desperately she needed it to be true. Deciding that she really had nothing to lose, the frightened child crawled a little closer to the upturned chairs, peering between the tangle of legs for a better view.

" _Uncle Steve!_ "

Jumping to her feet, wobbling unsteadily for a moment before finding her balance, Grace was around the chairs and across to the other side of the room before she'd even realised what she was doing. Throwing herself into the familiar arms of her SEAL, Grace clung onto his muscular frame with everything she had, tears flowing freely.

* * *

 

Chin Ho left the security office and headed straight for the first empty corridor he could find, slumping heavily against the plaster wall as he selfishly stole a moment for himself, even if it was only to gather his thoughts.

What had started out as a pretty normal day had somehow turned into one he wasn't going to forget for a long time. None of them were, and with the new information they were collecting along the way, the Hawaiian couldn't see that it was anywhere near being over.

The CCTV footage from outside of McGarrett's room had shown what they'd suspected from the very start: Steve had used his ridiculous ninja stealth, injured and semi-doped up on drugs, to sneak out of his room whilst everyone was distracted.

Chin knew he should be angry, that Steve's actions were idiotic and selfish - all he'd managed to do was put himself in further danger, after all - but he also knew Steve. The Navy SEAL was a fiercely protective man. The thought that he'd put Grace in danger, even unwittingly, would have been eating away at him like a deadly cancer. For him, inaction was tantamount to not caring, and no matter the risks posed to his own life, he would put everything on the line to protect those he considered his ohana. Steve would die for any one of his team. Chin just prayed with everything within him that it wasn't going to come down to that.

Running a hand through his thick hair, Kelly took a deep breath before composing himself, and then another just to be sure. There was still so much that needed to be done before he could even think of taking a moment for himself. To start with, he needed to get to the morgue.

Whilst searching through the CCTV footage for McGarrett's Great Escape, Chin had unwittingly stumbled upon an extra piece of the puzzle. One that now lay dead in the hospital's morgue with a bullet to the brain.

Whist the dead guy wouldn't be able to give them answers to the most important questions - like where the hell Grace was being held, who had her, and why come back for McGarrett now when they'd had the perfect opportunity to grab him at the same time as Grace? - they would hopefully be able to ascertain his identity, which should point them in the direction of where to start looking.

Chin knew there were still a lot of unanswered questions, but he was positive they were at least heading in the right direction.

That, and they were due some good luck.

* * *

 

Steve had barely struggled into an upright position before he had his arm full of a sobbing Grace. Ignoring the added pressure to his busted ribs as she clung onto him for dear life, the head of Five-O clutched onto the eight year old with an equally solid grip of his own, wishing he had both hands free.

Tears stinging at his eyes, the SEAL allowed himself a few moments of comfort and to be thankful that Grace was in one piece before his sense of responsibility took over. "Hey, Gracie, I need to check you over, okay? Make sure you're still in one piece. Can I do that?"

When Grace didn't respond straight away, Steve cleared his sore throat to try again. "Grace..."

"Please, Uncle Steve... I just need a minute."

Grace's timid voice sent a dagger straight through his heart. Unable to hold back his own tears any longer, Steve tightened his one-armed grip on the trembling child and let them silently fall. "Okay, it's okay. Take all the time you need."


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, long time no see, right? *hangs head in shame*

"I'm fine, 'm fine..." came the slurred words of the blond detective as he roused from his unintentional slumber, blinking slowly up at the concerned faces staring down at him. "Huh. Wha' happen'd?"

 

Kono smiled down at her obviously not fine friend, pushing a sweaty strand of hair off his forehead. "Hey, Danny. You passed out from the blood loss, but Doctor Kekoa here is going to patch you up."

 

"But I-"

 

" _No arguments_ , Detective," Kala interrupted before Danny could finish, her patience starting to wear thin with the craziness of the last hour. Gunshot wounds she could deal with, but disappearing patients, fake maintenance men and bullets flying in the hallways were taking things a bit too far for her liking. "I have quite a few patients needing my help today and you're delaying me from getting to them."

 

Kono softened the doctor's sharp words with a friendly pat to Danny's arm. "You're not doing Grace any favours by refusing treatment, Danny. Let them take the bullet out so they can patch you up. That way I can get it sent off to forensics and maybe we'll be able to trace it back to someone in the system."

 

With an unhappy sigh, Danny begrudgingly nodded his consent. As much as he wanted to get back out there, as much as he desperately needed to follow the fresh trail of clues in the hopes that they'd lead him to his precious daughter, he knew he wasn't in the right state of mind - or health - to be doing so. His actions so far today had proven that beyond a shadow of a doubt.

 

"You're right. I'm sorry, doc. Go ahead."

 

Doctor Kekoa offered a small but friendly smile as she snapped on a fresh pair of latex gloves and pulled her tray of sterilised implements closer. "I hear it's been a pretty bad day all round. It's certainly more action than this hospital's seen in a while. Let's get you cleaned up, shall we?"

 

Danny met Kono's dark eyes as the sodden bandage was cut away from his wounded shoulder, blinking back a sudden wave of frustrated tears. The reality that he might never see his beautiful daughter again sat like a leaden weight on his chest, making it harder to breathe with each second he wasn't at her side. Just the thought of Grace, terrified and alone, wondering where she was and what was going to happen to her...

 

_Oh, god, Steve, if you're with her I need you to keep her safe._ _Please_ , please, _keep her safe..._

 

Thinking of his missing partner, Danny understood he'd made more bad decisions today than he would've thought humanly possible; the realisation leaving a bitter taste in his mouth and a sharp pain in his heart. There was no possible scenario that would allow the Super SEAL to put his daughter in danger. He knew that, he really did. But Danny had let his terror and emotions get the better of him and he'd lashed out. The things he'd said to his supposed best friend sickened him. He'd played dirty and he'd struck where he knew he could cause the most damage, the most pain. There was no doubt about it; he was an awful, awful person.

 

Hissing at a sudden flare of pain from his shoulder, the Jersey native grit his teeth and took a steadying breath. Beating himself up over his actions wasn't getting him anywhere. He needed to get his detective head back in play. Steve and Grace, they were counting on him.

 

So far, they were no closer to discovering who had Grace or why those schmucks had taken her.Danny had been racking his brain, trying to piece together likely suspects, but the unfortunate reality was that the list was beyond endless. Even before he'd joined McGarrett and the Governor's task force, his years as a cop had earned him a pretty hefty list of enemies. It could quite literally be any one of them.

 

_Any._ _One._

 

The blond detective surrendered to the urge to voice his fears, just for a moment. "Kono, what if..."

 

"Hey, don't." Kono interrupted her friend's morose thoughts before they could take form, gripping his good arm with both of her hands. "We'll get them back, Danny. Both of them. Keep the faith, brah."

 

Danny slowly nodded, but Kono could tell he wasn't even truly listening.

 

* * *

 

Chin glanced up from his task of taking prints from their fresh John Doe as the door to the morgue swung open, admitting the uniformed security guard that'd helped him find Steve's CCTV footage.

 

"Excuse me, I've been told you're the best person to give this to. One of my guys found it out the front."

 

In the man's hand was Danny's cell phone, scuffed and dirty but thankfully in one piece.

 

Wiping the excess ink from his fingers onto the leg of his pants, Chin accepted the phone and glanced at the display, spying five missed calls - all of them from Rachel.

 

"Mahalo. I'll make sure Detective Williams gets it back."

 

With a nod, the guard turned and left, closing the door quietly behind him.

 

Chin slid the phone into his back pocket and returned his attention to the body laid out before him. Whilst fingerprinting a corpse wasn't an enjoyable task, if it helped them gain even the smallest piece of information it would be worth it. Chin wasn't overly superstitious by nature, but it seemed that the odds so far were pretty unfairly stacked against them, and that didn't sit well with the Hawaiian.

 

Grace had been missing for just over three hours now by his reckoning. Typically that would mean nothing but bad news, but now, with Steve's apparent kidnapping, Chin Ho couldn't help but believe that his friend's little girl was still alive. _There was something much bigger going on here; there had to be._ They just needed to figure out what.

 

Finishing up with the prints, Chin scanned them into his phone and added a photo of the man's face before sending them on to his contact at HPD.

 

* * *

 

"...Uncle Steve?"

 

The soft sound of Grace's voice took a lot longer than necessary to register with the dazed Navy SEAL. Blinking rapidly to force his brain to reboot, Steve relaxed his tight grip on the eight year old and shifted with a painful grunt so he could catch her worried gaze.

 

"Gracie?"

 

"Are-are you okay?"

 

Steve automatically offered his most reassuring smile and used his free hand to smooth down the wayward strands of the young girl's hair. He felt like he'd been hit by a truck and then reversed over for good measure, but he wasn't going to admit to that. At least, not out loud. With his pounding head and a wrist throbbing in time to his racing heart, Steve's ribs felt like they were going to snap if he inhaled too deep. The SEAL just hoped he didn't look half as bad as he felt.

 

"I'm good now that I know you're safe. What about you, sweetie - are you okay? Are you hurt anywhere?" Steve didn't want to ask outright if any of her kidnappers had harmed her, the thought sickening him, but he'd already seen the dark ring of bruises around the child's thin wrist - most likely from where she'd been dragged from his truck kicking and screaming. The sight sparked an almost overwhelming rage from deep within him. Someone was going to pay for every bruise, every scratch, every single hair out of place on the young girl's head; _that_ was a promise, and only once he was done with them would he hand them over to Danny for the Jersey native's own brand of justice.

 

"I'm okay, Uncle Steve."

 

McGarrett wasn't wholly convinced but he kept his thoughts to himself as Grace settled her head back against his chest, mindful of some of the worst stains on his stolen hoodie.

 

They stayed that way for a while, Grace relaxing in the comfort of Steve's presence even as the SEAL surveyed the room in an effort to stave off the exhaustion that was slowly clawing its way to the surface. Cuffed to a radiator, he wasn't going to be much use to anyone, and with one hand out of commission he was at a bigger disadvantage than he liked. That was going to have to change.

 

Grace's next words, when they came a few minutes later, whispered as if she was afraid to admit them out loud, interrupted his planning as they sent chills down his spine.

 

"I thought those men had killed you, Uncle Steve. I thought I was..."

 

The youngest Williams couldn't even bring herself to finish her fearful confession, a fresh set of tears spilling free as she struggled to hold back her sobs.

 

"Hey, _hey_ , listen to me," Steve tried his best to soothe the distraught child, patting her gently on the back in what he hoped was a comforting manner. "I promised Danno that I'd take care of you, okay? And that's what I'm going to do. There's nothing that would stop me from keeping you safe, Grace; I promise."

 

The eight year old nodded as she scrubbed at her wet face, accepting Steve's words for what they were: the truth. The SEAL had already failed once today in keeping her from harm. He wasn't going to let it happen again.

 

"Did...did you see my Danno?"

 

McGarrett's heart skipped a beat as he remembered his last moments with Danny, the blond hitting the floor as a bullet tore into his body. It was a shoulder wound, Steve was almost certain, so he knew that - barring any unexpected complications - his friend would be okay. He was at a hospital after all. But Grace didn't need to know that.

 

Steve opened his mouth to offer his slightly altered version of the truth as an answer but was cut off by the sound of loud voices suddenly outside their door.

 

Grace froze, all colour draining from her already pale face at the sound of a key in the rusty lock and Steve frowned, concerned by the visceral reaction from the young girl. Ignoring what was going on outside their cell, Steve forced Grace to focus her attention back on him.

 

"Gracie, honey, look at me. Look at me, okay? Remember what I promised you? Do you remember? I'm not going to let anyone hurt you, you hear me? No one."

 

Grace nodded, but the head of Five-O could feel the terror radiating from her small body as she trembled in his arms.

 

"Whatever happens, Grace, I'll keep you safe."

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I would love to hear your thoughts - if anyone is still reading!?

**Author's Note:**

> Feedback is greatly appreciated.


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